


Blood & Water

by Nova_Fearnewood



Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Drew Baker - Freeform, F/M, Falling In Love, Father Figures, Fluff, I swear this is not a spin off of twilight, I try, Mark Collins - Freeform, Megan O'Brien lives, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Minor Original Character(s), Not Beta Read, Richard Elia - Freeform, Some Humor, Team as Family, Vampire Turning, Vampires, You Have Been Warned, it's better than it sounds, mentions of Richard Elia, sexual content starting in chapter 12, sexy fun times, vampire mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 20:08:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 190,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3663315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova_Fearnewood/pseuds/Nova_Fearnewood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Walter O'Brien leads an above average life, even for being a vampire. He's a genius, as quite a few vampires are, and he leads a team of vampires who also have high IQ's. Even before he knew he was a vampire, he was a million miles from normal due to his intelligence, but now, he's practically given up hope of ever being considered normal.<br/>But then, by some stroke of luck, he meets a mortal named Paige and her genius son Ralph, who is just beginning to undergo the changes that will eventually make him a full vampire.<br/>Walter wants to mentor Ralph so that he can face his changes without fear and teach him how to be a responsible genius vampire, but Walter might just learn a thing or two from Paige about being human in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue & Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Scorpion.  
> My vampires are quite different from the vampires of movies and myth.  
> They can be born through natural genetics and made when bitten or via venom infusion. They can have sex and reproduce. Full born fledglings are practically human and they don't begin changing until they hit puberty. They are NOT immortal, they only have a much slower aging process than humans. They can go out in the sun and in water. They can have *some* supernatural gifts. THEY DO NOT SPARKLE!!! They can eat human food as long as their diet is supported by blood or they can choose to live on blood alone. They can sleep. Holy Water doesn't faze them. They can choose when their eyes turn red and when their fangs appear. They are seriously allergic to garlic. They can feed on humans and animals. Changing a human to a vampire can save that human's life and cure whatever ailment they have. Full born vampires practically stop aging around age 30-40, half vampires stop around 45-55. Half vampires age slower than humans but faster than full vampires and their venom is not as effective.  
> I think that just about covers it.

It is a well known truth of reality that there are differences among us.

Most people believe that our differences are what makes us human.

That's a nice sentiment, and it would be true if all of us actually were human.

Walter O'Brien found out when he was young that he was not quite as human as he had hoped. He was considered superhuman to some and subhuman to others.

Walter O'Brien is a vampire with an IQ of 197 and practically no emotions.

Startled at first by his changing nature, he turned to science and searched for answers.

Science led him to believe that he was allergic to garlic and that his low body temperature and low heart rate were just differences that made him human, simply an outlier on a graph of data.

Then he got his first taste of blood and he knew deep inside that he was not an outlier, he didn't even belong in the same test group.

He was helping his father on their farm in springtime when he had turned eleven and he was shearing sheep when the frightened animal jerked suddenly and got clipped with the trimmer, causing it to bleed. Walter stopped the flow of blood with his hand as his father yelled at him to be more careful. He could feel the pulsing of the blood just below his hand and had a deep, confusing, urge to just bite down on the animal.

When Walter's father relieved him of the injured sheep, Walter left the barn with the wet blood still on his hand, all of a sudden he felt the overwhelming urge to taste the blood. Walter licked it and he felt something unexplainable change in him.

From that day on, he craved blood. He would trap small animals and drain them before tossing the bloodless carcasses into the trash or burying them. He could still eat normal food, but it didn’t satisfy him unless he had sucked the blood of an animal and quenched his bloodthirst.

He still took an interest in things like rockets, so when he got his own room, he wanted to put a blueprint for NASA’s space shuttle on the wall. So he hacked their files and when he finally discovered it, after hours of hacking, he heard the pounding of feet on the stairs and the screams of his mother and sister.

Then a bunch of men wielding guns and wearing FBI vests burst into his room and arrested him.

As Walter was led out of the house, an agent in about his late twenties approached him. 

“I’m Agent Cabe Gallo... I just want to take you in for questioning...”

Walter nodded and went with the agents.

When they got to the prison, they went right to the interrogation room and Agent Gallo began asking him question after question. The attending agent flipped through pages in a folder and jotted notes down.

All of a sudden, the attending agent jerked.

“Shit!”, he swore and Walter heard the slice of skin and smelled the metallic bite of blood.

 _Papercut_.

Walter gripped the bottom of his chair and forced himself to stay put, but it was hard to not race over there and just get a taste.

Agent Gallo sent the agent out to collect himself and as soon as the door shut, the agent turned to Walter.

“I saw that...”, He said.

“Saw what?”, Walter asked, considerably calmer now that the source of fresh blood had left the room. 

“The way you reacted to the blood...”

“I don’t follow.”

“Don’t play dumb with me... I’m a lot smarter than you give me credit for and I know what you are.”, The agent replied.

“I’m a boy...”, Walter replied.

“You’re more than that... You’re most likely a full blooded, born fledgling vampire...”

“That’s preposterous...”, Walter replied, “Vampires don’t exist.”

Just then, Cabe Gallo’s eyes flashed red and his canines elongated, forming perfectly sharp fangs.

Walter was taken aback at the sight of the agent becoming something other than human before changing back just as quickly.

“So they are real...”, he breathed.

“Yes,  _we_ are quite real...”, Cabe stated, “I’m only half vampire, but I can control my tendencies. I age much slower than normals but much faster than born and changed full vampires...I’ll stop physically aging when I’m in my late forties... That’s how it is.”

“When will I stop aging?”

“I’ll give you about age thirty to thirty five...”

“When do I start getting fangs?”

“Well, most born fledgling vampires don’t start changing until they’re about thirteen, but you look like an early bloomer. I’ll give you until you’re fifteen...”, Cabe replied.

“Will I still be able to eat normally?”, Walter asked.

“Certainly, just as long as you supplement your foods with blood...Some vampires choose not to consume anything but blood...It’s a personal choice, but garlic is a no-go...”

“I’m allergic to garlic.”, Walter said. 

“How do you do in the sun?”

“Perfectly fine.”

“Good, sometimes vampires from Europe and the British Isles have a slight sensitivity to sunlight... I’ve come across many vampires in my work and not one of them had ever heard of anyone dying due to sun exposure...”

The rest of the interrogation was more or less a questions and answers session. Walter had an infinite number of questions about his state of being and Cabe answered those questions as best as he could.

“Listen, I’ll let you go but I’ll be checking in every now and then...”

Walter nodded.

As the years passed, Walter gradually found himself developing.

His transformations made puberty seem like a daydream because on the day when his fangs first made an appearance, he went hunting and killed one of his father’s sheep.

Well, Cabe had said that the fangs started a period that he referred to as a  ‘straight up blood feeding frenzy that lasts for a week’.

It was unfortunate that Walter’s father saw him slay the sheep. 

That sparked a load of anger from his father and questioning from his mother. Walter learned that his great grandfather on his mother’s side had been a vampire.

His whole ‘coming out’ was something that wasn’t made any easier with Megan’s diagnosis. 

The doctors told them that Megan had the early signs of Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that had no cure, but would manifest itself slowly. The good news was that Megan would probably have an average lifespan if there were no complications. 

When Walter heard this, he immediately called Cabe up on the phone to ask him if he would be able to turn Megan and save her life. 

“The problem with being only half a vampire is that my venom isn’t as  functional as a full vampire’s is. I would change her, but it’d be about a week of straight pain on her part. If you were mature, you’d be able to change her in a few hours, but you’d still have to drink quite a bit of her blood so that there was enough of your venom in her to make a difference...most vampires can’t stop and end up accidentally killing the person they wanted to change.”

“I’m not mature yet... I’m almost there... I’m sure I could stop drinking before it’d be too late...”

“How close are you to the final stage?”

“I just realized that I can smell other vampires and tell whether their diet is supplemented by blood or all blood, and even what blood they prefer...”

“Then your venom would have about as much effect as mine would.”, Cabe sighed, “I’m sorry kid, but you still have to go through some more changes before you can do anything for your sister.”

“But when I’m mature, I’ll still be able to change her and heal her?”, Walter asked.

“Yeah, when someone gets turned they immediately get healed, whether what they had was cancer or just acne. By the way, I’ll need that technology for the care packages soon.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem.”

Walter didn’t talk to Cabe too much after that because Homeland misused the technology that Walter had given them for care packages and weaponized it to drop payloads of bombs on innocent people.

Walter spoke to Megan a lot instead. He explained to her about his vampire skill set and she listened with rapt attention.

“I can change you when I’m fully mature and you’ll be fine...”, Walter paused, “Do you want me to change you into a fully functional vampire?”, he asked, “Some of us even have special abilities... maybe you’ll be gifted...”

Megan smiled sadly and patted her little brother’s hand.

“No. I’m sorry Walter, what you’re offering me is too much... MS is my fight... I can take this on my own. I don’t really want to become something else just to escape reality... does that make sense?”, she replied.

Walter nodded and respected her wishes to remain normal, choosing instead to try and formulate a cure using other, scientific means. If he could find a cure, more people would benefit from it.

A few years later, when Walter was fully mature, he took Megan and moved to the United States. He was going to get her the best care in the country while they were in Ireland, but Megan said that she’d always wanted to go to Los Angeles and their mother suggested that Megan would have a better chance of finding far superior care in the United States, so they went and settled in L.A. 

 When Megan went to live on the hospital’s campus (per her doctor’s requests), Walter took a bunch of IT jobs and put his high IQ to work. In his spare time (aside from the regular feeding trips into the woods), Walter would travel the country, talking to doctors and scientists that had done research on MS before, and on the way, he got an idea.

He would start his own IT/computer repair business, name it after his old hacker name (Scorpion), and only employ the best and brightest people.

But he had to find the best and brightest people first.

In his travels, he came across many scientists and doctors who were vampires, both born and turned. Although many of them couldn’t help him with the MS research, they could point him in the right direction to help him find geniuses to employ.

His first encounter was in upstate New York. A vampire scientist had mentioned that there must have been a very smart vampire who had been stealing from blood banks in the area, but that they were very good at covering their tracks, so, being naturally curious, Walter decided to investigate.

He found enough information, both digital and physical, at the blood banks to follow the footprints and scent markers back to a motel where the scent of purified and refrigerated human blood was the strongest. 

Walter knocked on the door and a young man answered the door.

Walter explained to the man that he wasn’t with the cops or anything but that he could smell the blood and wanted to come in.

The man let him in and Walter noticed quite a few discarded blood bags in the garbage.

“I’m Sylvester Dodd by the way...”, the man said.

“I’m Walter O’Brien...”

“I’m not in your territory, am I?”, Sylvester asked, “I’d hate to cause trouble with another vampire... oh God, you’re not a messenger from the Ithaca coven are you?”

“No I’m not a messenger... I’m pretty much a nomad. I’m originally from Ireland but I’m out in L.A. now.”

“How did you find me?”, Sylvester asked.

“I saw the blood banks and the computers...I followed the evidence back to you.” 

“How did you find my encryption?”, Sylvester asked in surprise, “Nobody has ever found that before...”

“I’m like you. I’m a genius vampire.”, Walter explained, “You’re on the run and I have a feeling you’re running out of options... Lucky for you, I have a proposition...”

“Go on.”

“I’m forming a business of geniuses that will help solve high-end IT/computer problems. You’re a genius and your focus is in math and computer science... I could use you on my side.”

“I’ll go, anywhere is better than here...”, Sylvester agreed. “But I’m a germaphobe, so all my blood will have to be purified before consumption...”

“That’s fine...” 

Walter was traveling with Sylvester in Atlantic City when they had to spend the night at a hotel after speaking to another vampire scientist that had lost his money to another vampire named Tobias M Curtis, who was supposedly a mind reader.

Although he was intrigued by the prospect of having a mind reader on his team, Walter temporarily put the thought out of his head and went out to go find something to feed off of, hoping to prey off a seagull or a rat.

Instead he walked past a shady alley and was instantly overcome with the smell of fresh blood. There was a lot of people down there and one vampire who was fearing for their life.

Walter turned the corner and followed the scent before finding a young man with his back against a wall, surrounded by a pit boss and about six men, all of them wielding guns, which Walter knew couldn’t kill vampires but could hurt them.

The man with his back to the wall was the vampire, Walter could tell by the scent. There was a fresh corpse in the way, a young woman, and Walter could tell that the vampire was next to die.

Walter’s foot nudged a beer bottle and the whole mob spun around.

The next thing Walter knew, the cornered vampire had broken most of the men’s necks and had his fangs in the side of the pit boss’s neck, draining the man of his blood quickly.

It was the first time that Walter had ever seen a vampire feed off a human and kill them.

When the vampire released the dry corpse, he wiped his mouth, stepped over the pile of bodies and picked up a hat.

“I’m sorry you had to see that... I know you’re more intrigued but I can still sense your astonishment.”, the vampire said, “I can read people like a book...but you my friend could sense my fear, so you’re a vampire,”, the young man inhaled, “And you’re a hungry one too...”

“Hang on, are you by any chance Tobias M Curtis, the mind reader?”, Walter asked.

“It’s  _Doctor_ Tobias M Curtis, and I’m no more a mind reader than you. I’m a genius who happens to be a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who happens to be a vampire who also happens to be gifted with the ability to read body language.”, he explained, “But please, call me Toby...”

“Well, Toby, you’re just the person I’m looking for. My name is Walter O’Brien and I’m assembling a team of geniuses who would be willing to work with me on high-end computer and IT cases."

"IT isn't my thing..."

"Well...Here’s my information if you want to get in touch with me...”, Walter said, handing off a piece of paper to the other vampire, "Thank you for your time..."

Just as Walter turned to leave the alley, Toby called out to him.

“Wait. I need to get clean and learn how to be responsible... I can’t keep killing pit bosses who want to kill me...”

Walter turned to him.

“Well I can help with that.”

“Thanks, oh, you might as well help yourself to a corpse while you’re here... just not them,”, he gestured to a few men, “They’re heroin addicts...”

Walter had fed off of human blood before, but not often and never when they were dead, but he had gone for a few days without feeding, so he approached one of the clean corpses and drained it quickly.

The blood was smokey and tasted like cigarettes and Walter wanted to gag, but he was too hungry to pass up a full feeding that would support him for about a week. 

Toby joined Scorpion that night.

As they drove back to L.A. in Walter’s car, they shared stories about how they found out about their abilities and how it felt the first time they ever drank blood.

The car broke down in a small town in southern Oregon right after they spoke to another vampire doctor about MS and as the trio walked into town, they asked the owner of the general store if there was a mechanic in town.

“Sorry, Lewis is out of town, but there’s a girl from Napa who’s an old friend of Lewis’s and she’s watching his house for him while he’s away. She’s really good with cars... I think her name is Quinn... she’s got a pretty hot temper though, so you’re going to want to tread carefully...”

They got the address to Lewis’s house and Walter decided to go ask the woman for help while Toby and Sylvester stayed in the town for lunch, which included rare steaks for both of them (Sylvester said that the meat was prepared at a hot enough temperature so that 95% of the germs were killed, so he should be okay).

Walter walked down a dirt road for a quarter mile with dense pine forests on both sides until he came to a house. 

The garage was opened up and heavy metal blared from inside, Walter had to ignore the overwhelming smell of motor oil and automotive fluids and yell, “EXCUSE ME!!” to whomever was in the garage.

“AROUND BACK!”, came a feminine voice and Walter came across a young woman who was slicing the neck of a deer open and letting it bleed into a large funnel and into a mason jar.

“Um are you Quinn?”, Walter asked as he picked out the scent of a hungry vampire who rarely fed on anything but animals.

“My name is Happy Quinn, yeah, and I checked, I’m not on anyone’s territory... If you’re here to tell me to leave, I’ll be out of your hair when Lewis gets back...”, the young female vampire turned and stared right into his eyes, fixing him with an almost painful gaze.

“I’m not here to start trouble, I just need someone who can fix my car so my friends and I can be on our way.”, Walter explained and the stabbing feeling subsided. 

“Sure.”, she said before pausing and draining the mason jar and sucking the rest of the deer dry, “You smell hungry... I have another jar inside if you want a pick-me-up...”, she offered.

Walter accepted and then they got into Happy’s truck and rode to the place where the car sat.

“So where are you headed with your two other vampire friends?”, she asked as she looked under the hood. 

“Back to L.A... they wanted a job so I gave them jobs on my team...”

“You starting a coven? You might want to find more muscle that someone who smells like a dirty casino floor and someone who never drinks fresh blood...”

“Yeah... It’s not a coven... we’re genius vampires who work in computer repair and IT.”

Walter watched as Happy’s hands flew over the engine and fixed it.

She was another genius.

“You’re a genius too, aren’t you?”, Walter asked.

“Well yeah... I’m mentally enabled... that’s my ability along with being able to sense energies and inflict pain to a very small degree.”

“Are you looking for a steady job?”, Walter asked, “We could use a mechanical prodigy like you on the team.”

Happy seemed to consider this and she nodded.

“I’ll leave Lewis an note, he’ll understand...”.

Walter went with Happy into town and collected Toby and Sylvester.

Walter didn’t miss the way Toby looked at Happy when they were introduced. 

They went back to L.A. and bought a garage that they turned into their base of operations.

Walter found one more member of their team, a vampire named Mark Collins who had the ability to control minds, but not many at a time at full strength.

He sent Walter into a dangerous downward spiral known as the Rabbit Hole, where Happy had to force blood down his throat just to keep him alive until she found a way to break Mark Collins’ charm and the whole team had to force him out of the garage with bared fangs. 

That night, the team sat down to discuss things.

“I think we have to become a coven... that way we can rip Mark Collins apart and burn him if he threatens us again...”, Happy said.

“I agree. Collins has a 78% chance of coming back, we want to have legal protection under international coven laws if he does.”, Sylvester stated.

 “Piggybacking off of what Sly said, if we do have to kill him, we’ll need to have a legal reason...Collins is gifted and he’s a descendant of the _Ve_ _cchio Ordine..._ so if we killed him for no reason, we could all end up dead...”, Toby added, “Those Old World vampires don’t play around...”

Walter nodded.

“Fine, I’ll send a letter to the _V_ _ecchio Ordine_  and request the coven application forms.”, Walter said.

“So we’re the Scorpion coven now and Walter is the head of it?", Sylvester asked.

“Yeah we’re a coven...”, Walter said.

Four years later, Walter O’Brien watched as a young boy played with sugar packets and jam containers at the counter of a diner where he was installing WiFi.

The boy’s mother was working nearby, and she was a very pretty young normal who didn’t quite know how to connect with her son.

The owner of the diner came up to the boy and scolded him before moving over to the young mother and telling her to keep her son in line.

The mother murmured to her son and patted his head while her son stared at his hands, clearly absorbed in his own thoughts. 

Walter approached the boy as the mother turned away to get back to work and moved a salt shaker.

As expected, the boy began playing chess with the condiments. Walter quickly won the game and marveled at the boy's quick processing skills. 

When Walter inhaled, he could smell a fledgling and he knew immediately that the boy was going to end up just like him, a genius, gifted vampire with a mother who didn’t know what to do.

“Excuse me? Can I help you?”, the mother asked, drawing near.

Walter noticed her name badge and the defensive scent she gave off. 

“No thanks... Paige...But you should help him...”, he said, nodding towards the boy, and collecting his things.

"The wireless is up.", He said to the owner before opening the door, "And don't yell at that boy.", He added with a note of finality, bidding his eyes to flash red for a split second.

As Walter got into his car and drove back to the garage, something told him that his interaction with Paige and her son was not going to be a one time thing.

When he arrived back at the garage, he returned to his work, when all of a sudden, the door opened and a man that Walter hadn’t seen in years walked in.

“Walter O’Brien... I see you have a coven of your own...”

“Agent Gallo... you should know better than to venture into the heart of another coven without permission...”, Walter said, forcing his eyes to turn scarlet in warning.

“Well this oversteps any coven laws. We have a lot of people that are going to die unless you and your coven can save the day, so let’s go.”, the older half vampire said.

And just like that, the Scorpion coven was in motion, all of them with a specific job to do, but with traffic at a standstill, they had to go to the diner where Walter had just installed WiFi to get a reliable connection.

When they reached the diner, Paige and her son remained and Paige told them off for being rude in her place of work, so Walter decided to give her a telling off of his own, one which he got completely wrong.

Paige told him why he was wrong, only to make two things clear to Walter: first, that Paige had no clue that Ralph, her son, was a fledgling, and second, that Ralph wanted to be with his mother but didn’t know how.

“And about Ralph, he just has trouble adjusting, so have some empathy...”, She said.

Walter sighed.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your son is a genius and a vampire.”

 All Paige did was gasp.    


	2. In The Beginning

Paige gasped as Walter told her about Ralph’s gifts. 

Well, she saw the genius part of his news as a gift, but wasn't quite sure what to make of the whole ‘fledgling vampire’ part of his news, as it hadn't sunk in yet.

Paige stepped back and sat down and Walter watched her carefully.

She was clearly in shock about this whole thing and Walter could understand why, after all, he was a complete stranger to her and they didn’t start off on the right foot. He had practically introduced himself by performing a very poor psychoanalysis of her current life situation. 

He could almost hear Megan scolding him in the back of his head, telling him not to be rude to someone he just met.  

Toby came over and noticed how Paige was acting.

“Dammit Walt, did you send her into shock?”, he asked rhetorically as he reached into his bag and pulled out an unopened bottle of water, which he pushed into the young woman’s hands, “Here...Drink this...you’ll feel better...”

Paige sipped her water as she watched the team dart around the diner, typing frantically on laptops. Ralph was playing with his sugar packets again and she stood as she saw one of the members of the team approach him.

Walter saw the young mother observing her son with rapt attention as Sylvester approached the boy and adjusted his glasses. 

“You want to know how I know that your son Ralph is a genius?”, Walter asked.

Paige nodded as she watched the other man move a sugar packet and then saw Ralph move one of his packets.

“Do you know what Ralph and Sylvester are doing?”, Walter asked.

Paige shook her head.

“Ralph is playing chess with the condiments against a grandmaster who’s about to lose.”, Walter said as Sylvester’s ‘king’ pepper shaker was taken off of the board.

Sylvester looked at Walter in surprise.

“Did you just see that? Checkmate in less than eight moves!”, the genius exclaimed, “This boy is  _amazing_!”

Paige put her hand over her mouth in surprise.

“I never knew... The teachers and doctors all said that he was autistic...”, Paige murmured.

“You’d be surprised at how often the term ‘autistic’ is applied to people who have high IQ’s...”, Toby said, approaching the pair.

“And you are?”, Paige asked.

“I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier.”, Toby said, extending his hand to Paige, “Dr. Tobias M. Curtis, Harvard-trained psychiatrist... I’m the team’s behaviorist, if you will.”

“Paige Dineen, nice to meet you.”, Paige said as she shook Toby’s hand and then looked back towards her son, “Now what were you saying?”

“Ah yes. Those individuals who have high IQ’s are often the ones with very low EQ’s, or emotional quotients. Having a low EQ can mean that the person will have trouble communicating and connecting with others in various ways and this can include lack of participation in group activities and lack of emotional responses to certain things. Having a high IQ can mean that the person often takes an interest in few things, but the things that interest them can often hold their attention for hours.”, Toby explained.

“Well that trouble connecting would explain why Ralph wanted to hold your hand and paint your nails...”, Walter supplied, “You made it quite clear to me that you didn’t like me calling your nail polish cheap...”

Paige closed her eyes in mild annoyance at his comment.

“Unfortunately, when a high IQ and a low EQ are paired together, the person can often say things that are quite rude to other people,”, Toby said, aiming his comment at Walter and glaring daggers at the coven leader who shrugged, “And if these signs are exhibited in a child, they are often confused with the symptoms of autism.” 

“So Ralph isn’t autistic?”, Paige asked, “I’m asking for your professional opinion, Dr. Curtis...”

“Please just call me Toby, as for Ralph, he’s a genius. His actions don’t tell me anything else. He doesn’t display any other signs of autism that I can see... Did he develop well?”

Paige nodded.

“He was always healthy, he didn’t cry or fuss much, he always seemed distant from other kids. He had no trouble speaking or walking.”

“When his father left, did he take it hard?”, Walter asked.

“No... not that I know of...”, Paige said, clearly not annoyed with Walter anymore, “He was so young at the time, I doubt he remembers his father at all... But what about the other thing you mentioned?”, she asked Walter.

“The fact that Ralph is going to grow up and become a vampire?”, he asked.

“Yeah that... how do you know?”, Paige asked.

“I’ll show you but you’ll have to trust us.”, Walter replied.

Paige nodded.

“Hey guys?”, Walter asked, getting the team’s attention, “I want you to tell me what you smell about the people in this diner, don’t include yourselves...”, he pointed at Sylvester first.

Sylvester inhaled.

“Okay... Three vampires, one half vampire, two normals and...”, he trailed off, “Sorry...one normal and a fledgling...”

Toby inhaled.

“Three and a half vampires, one normal and a fledgling.”

“Ditto.”, Happy said.

Cabe inhaled.

“Same as the doc.”

Paige inhaled.

“I can’t smell anything more than someone’s cologne...”, she said.

“Ralph? What do you smell?”, Walter asked.

“Something that smells sweet and warm... three things that smell earthy, like wet dog... One thing that smells sharp, hot, and metallic... one thing that smells sanitized, cold, and metallic...”  

“Okay then. By a show of hands and fangs, who is a full vampire?”, Walter asked.

Paige gasped as the four geniuses bared their fangs and raised their hands, their eyes turning red. Ralph only watched in awe.

“No need to be afraid... we won’t hurt you...”, Sylvester reassured Paige as his eyes changed back to brown. 

  “Okay, who is the half vampire here?”, Walter asked.

Cabe took off his sunglasses and his eyes turned red.

“That’d be me.” 

Walter turned to Paige, his eyes softening a little to a shade of reddish brown.

“You’re the normal...”, Walter said to Paige.

“Ralphie boy here is the fledgling...”, Toby said as he ruffled the boy’s hair.

“There must be a better way to tell than this... something more scientific?”, Paige asked. 

“Well we could always see which one of us here  _wouldn’t_ go into anaphylactic shock and break out in hives when they eat a clove of garlic, but then all of us except Paige would need to go to the hospital...”, Toby said.

“Okay, enough messing around... back to work... this problem won’t solve itself...”, Cabe barked and the whole team went back to work.

“So my son is a vampire?”, Paige asked Happy as she and Toby went to leave to retrieve the copy of the files needed to reset the corrupted LAX systems.

“Yeah, so don't try to kill him like the people in my one foster home tried to do to me...”, she replied sharply. 

“Oh my God, I would never--!”, Paige gasped.

“Good, now remember that when you have to take him hunting and clean blood off of his clothes...”, Happy said, “He’s not there yet, but just you wait until those fangs come in...You might want to invest in a lot of color-safe bleach…”

Paige nodded.

She focused on pushing the swirling thoughts in her head about vampires and blood to the back of her mind and then helped the team do their job.

She calmed Walter down when hope seemed lost and then the team needed her to put her life on the line to help save a lot of other lives.

Paige Dineen did some crazy, uncharacteristic things that day, like speeding through the streets of L.A. in a car with no airbags to speak of while Walter coached her through each intersection until they got to a smaller airport. She helped Walter break into a Ferrari and then  they were off, racing down the tarmac while a jet flew eight feet above them, dangling a cable and then, all too quickly, fate rested its heavy hand upon Paige Dineen’s petite shoulders. 

The cable was dropped and Paige had to stand up in the moving car to reach it, plugging it into Walter’s laptop when she got close enough. 

Paige clung to Walter’s laptop for dear life as the download began and then she felt it being lifted from her hands as the plane started gaining altitude.

“Paige!!”, Walter yelled, taking one hand off of the wheel to grasp Paige’s ankle. She barely registered the feel of his cooler-than-normal skin against her, but he felt her blood rushing beneath her hot skin and had to focus hard on not swerving accidentally or something like that.

There was something so indescribable about Paige and it confused Walter to no end, and it was as if that touch answered a question deep inside of him and unlocked a new part of his mind that confused him so much more.

Paige was an enigma.

 A beautiful, nurturing, normal enigma whose EQ could match wits with his IQ in a moment’s notice.

“Got it!”, Paige cried, pressing enter and letting go of the laptop in the last second before flopping back down as she and Walter came to a screeching halt before the car collided with the barrier at the end of the runway. 

Walter laughed in nervous relief as Paige opened her door and became physically ill.

Paige would recover quickly only to find Walter gazing intently at her.

“What?”, she asked the genius vampire.

Walter just caught his breath and smiled.

“We did it...”, he breathed, adrenaline still coursing through his veins.

“Yeah... yeah we did...”

The ambulance arrived a moment later and the paramedics checked Walter and Paige for any signs of shock and released them when they were given clean bills of health.

They returned to the garage and were given a hero’s welcome by the team. 

Later on during the celebration, Walter agreed to become a contractor for Homeland Security and agreed to let Cabe be their handler. Walter asked Paige if she would be willing to join the team as a liaison, or as a person who would translate the world for the team so that they could generate more business.

Paige agreed and she almost fainted when Cabe arrived with their paychecks for the LAX job, which included a  _lot_ of hazard pay, especially in Paige’s case.

Paige quit her job and began spending more time with the friendly coven of genius vampires, translating the world for them as they helped her understand Ralph.

Walter took an interest in Ralph and together, they would talk about science and becoming a vampire and then they would bounce ideas off of each other. They spent hours doing this until Paige took Ralph home to put him to bed or to school (much to Ralph’s disappointment).

That unknown, confusing feeling Walter had whenever he was around Paige was growing until he decided to discuss it with Cabe one evening after everyone had gone home.

“Cabe, I have a question for you.”, he stated and approached the older agent, handing him a cold bottle of root beer.

“Well that’s a phrase I haven’t heard come out of your mouth in years... What is it son?”, the older half vampire asked, accepting the bottle. 

“I was wondering if you could tell me if these things I’m feeling were normal or if I have a vampire problem.”, Walter said.

“Okay, shoot.”

Walter listed his ‘symptoms’ and when he was done, Cabe laughed a little.

“What’s so funny?”, Walter asked.

“Well, you just described every crush in the history of the world to me...”, Cabe replied, “And that can be bad for you...”

“Why?”, Walter asked.

“Well, there’s thing that we vampires have... it’s like an internalized radar that will attract us to our mates, whether they are male or female or non-binary, vampire, half blood, or human, young or old, you get the idea...”, Cabe paused, “Now, I’ve met a great deal of vampires and I’ve found out that asexual and aromantic vampires don’t really have this sense, but they have a similar one that helps them form strong platonic bonds with their family, coven, and friends.”

Walter shook his head.

“I’m not asexual or aromantic or both. Even if I don’t have feelings, I still enjoy the company of a willing partner, so that can’t be my case...”, Walter murmured, sipping his root beer.

“I know, that’s why I’m suggesting that Paige might just end up being your special someone...”, Cabe replied, “You’re lucky we aren’t involved directly with any Old World covens, they take their inclinations towards their mates seriously...”

“So Paige is my  _mate_?”, Walter asked, “That’s positively ludicrous... I’ve dated and had sexual relations with other women before, you know...”

“So have I...Hell, I even married a half vampire woman who was not my mate and we had a daughter named Amanda together... She went on to find her true mate and have children with him after Amanda passed away...”, Cabe replied.

A brief silence settled over the pair out of respect for Cabe’s deceased child.

“And for the record, I never said that Paige was your mate,”, Cabe said, breaking the silence, “You did.” 

The genius rolled his eyes.

“Mates...”, Walter scoffed, “Cut me some slack here Cabe, I wasn’t born yesterday...” 

“And neither was I, so hear me out.”, Cabe said, “I know you don’t believe in love or anything. You claim to have as much EQ as a goddamn toaster, but I see the way you look at Paige... A blind man could see how hard you’re falling for this woman and you’re practically one science experiment away from having Ralph call you his father.”

Walter’s grin slid off his face as Cabe called him out.

“You may not believe in love or mates but the rest of the team does in some way or another... I can see it in Toby’s eyes when he looks at Happy and I can see it in the subtle things Happy does around Toby, hoping that he’ll notice more about her. I can see it in the way Paige looks at you, she’s almost begging for that connection. Just watch, I’d be willing to bet money that soon you’ll be trying to attract her with a scent that you know damn well she won’t be able to pick up on…”

“Paige believes in love... not mates...”, Walter replied, “She’s our liaison, a coworker... I’m not going to jeopardize the ties within this company and this coven by beginning something that is clearly more than a platonic workplace relationship...”

“Son, I want you to be completely honest with me.”, Cabe said, approaching the genius.

Walter nodded.

“Do you like Paige?”, Cabe asked.

“I do.”, Walter nodded in reply, “She may not be efficient in some instances, but she certainly has her benefits. She’s good for business and she helps us communicate with the clients...”

“What do you enjoy about her presence?”, Cabe asked.

“She has a way of carrying herself that just somehow makes everyone around her feel good and at ease.”, Walter replied, “She helps me emote more than anyone else, including Megan...”

“Good. Do you like Ralph?”, Cabe asked.

“I greatly enjoy his company and being his mentor. I like him in a different way than I like Paige...”

“How so?”

“I feel like I’m supposed to be there for him, to show him how to be a good vampire and a responsible genius.”

“Do you feel an obligation towards them?”

“I don’t follow...”, the 197 IQ genius stated.

Cabe took a swig from his bottle. 

“I’m saying that if Paige and Ralph were here and you were the only one with them, and Mark Collins walked in the door, hell-bent on harming you what would you do?”, the agent asked.

“I’d fight him.”, Walter replied simply.

“And if he tried to harm Ralph?”

“I’d still fight him, only I’d fight to the death and tear him limb from limb before burning the corpse...”

“And if he tried to harm Paige?”

“Expect similar results, only the pieces of Collins would be unrecognizable... Not even dental records would help identify him then...”, Walter replied.

“What if I tried to harm them? This is just as an example... Paige and Ralph are like family to me, I’d never think of laying a finger on them...”, Cabe said.

“You’d be burning too...”, Walter replied quietly, drinking from his bottle.

“So you _do_ feel a strong urge to protect them?”

 “I suppose I do...but I’d do the same for any member of Scorpion... I’m the head of the coven, it’s my responsibility...”, Walter said.

“Sure kid, but being the head of a coven and protecting someone because you’re in love with them are two different things.”, Cabe paused to let those words sink in, “Paige isn’t in the coven because she’s not a vampire, nor is Ralph because he isn’t mature yet. Technically they can’t be placed under the protection of the coven without their consent.”

“I’ll make a copy of the coven protection papers tonight and put it on Paige’s desk tomorrow. I doubt they’ll say no...”, Walter replied, “Then will that show you that my feelings towards Paige are platonic and nothing more?”

Cabe drained his bottle, tossing it into the recycling bin. 

“You do that, but my mind won’t change... until then, think about what I told you...”.

“The idea of mates is illogical!”, Walter called out to Cabe as he left the rooftop, “And love is a junk science!”

“You keep telling me that but do you really believe that what you’re saying is 100% true?”, Cabe replied, leaving the roof before Walter could respond.

The genius drained his bottle and threw it in the recycling bin before leaving the roof.

As he found the coven documents for Paige and Ralph and began to complete the coven leader’s section on the forms, Walter began to ponder the idea of mates and love. 

His mind told him that there was no such thing as love and that mates were made up by the Old World vampires during a time when the vampire population was falling and vampires needed a reason to reproduce. Despite all of these thoughts, something else inside of him urged him towards Paige and Ralph.

He placed the documents in a red folder on Paige’s desk but he lingered at her empty space instead of turning away and returning to the loft.

He could envision Paige sitting there, he could hear her soft voice echoing in his head, and he could replay all the conversations they’d ever shared, no matter how brief the interaction may have been. He was happiest whenever Ralph was around, mainly because he saw so much of himself in the fledgling. Paige cared deeply for Ralph and placed his needs before hers, always considering what would be best for Ralph before making a big decision. 

Walter admired Paige for her sheer ability to hope and see things through to their end. She didn’t give up easily and that had inspired him to do the same. 

He found himself smiling a little at his thoughts, even after he had turned away from Paige’s desk.

The next morning before Ralph went off to school, Paige found the documents and Walter called a meeting so that everyone, even Ralph, could be present to go over the documents.

“What are these?”, Paige asked, pointing to the documents.

“It’s basically a contract that makes you and Ralph partial members of the coven even though you aren’t a vampire and Ralph isn’t mature yet.”, Cabe explained.

“So this means that we’ll be protected?”, Paige asked.

“Yes. It means that you are bound by the laws of the coven, but only the ones that can be applied to both humans and vampires...”, Walter replied.

“For example, you won’t be held accountable for any of the laws on feeding or creating other vampires through venom infusion because you aren’t a vampire but you will be bound by the law about murdering other vampires.”, Sylvester added when Paige looked a bit confused.

“Makes sense...”, she nodded.

“What about when my fangs come in? Will all the laws apply to me then?”, Ralph asked.

“Technically they won’t apply until you’re fully mature.”, Walter replied.

“Then how will I hunt?”, Ralph asked.

“How about this, we’ll take a hunting trip when you start craving and then we’ll show you how to hunt. When your fangs come in, we’ll take a week or two of vacation and go hunting.”, Walter said.

“Scoop swear?”, Ralph asked.

Walter looked at Paige for clarification with his eyebrows raised.

“Uh, ‘scoop’ is what Ralph and I say when I promise to take him out for ice cream after school. He’ll make me scoop swear that I’ll actually take him...”, Paige clarified, “It’s the strongest promise you can make to him.”

Walter nodded.   

“Okay then, Scoop.”, the 197 IQ genius replied to his young protégé.

Paige turned a page in the forms. 

“What’s this about ‘Venom Infusion For Protected Mortal(s) In The Event Of An Emergency’?”, she asked.

 Toby spoke up.

“That’s just a consent form stating that if you were ever dying, comatose, or in any way endangered and had no way of expressing your consent, any member of the coven could perform a venom infusion and change you into a vampire, thus saving your life.”

Paige nodded and signed the form.

“I do want Ralph to be notified if I’m ever in a situation like this, preferably before anyone has infused me with their venom...”, she stated.

The team agreed that such a request went without saying.

“Any other questions?”, Walter asked.

“Yeah... When Ralph is mature, will he automatically have to become a full member of Scorpion, or could he choose to do something else?”, Paige asked.

“That would be up to him to decide.”, Walter replied.

“I like it here.”, Ralph stated.

“Okay. Will signing this form only protect Ralph and I from vampires and half vampires, or will we be protected from normals as well?”, Paige asked.

“Depends on what you classify protection as.”, Happy replied, “If you mean like physical protection from anyone who is trying to do you harm, then yes. If protection means something else then it gets a bit hazy...”

Paige nodded and signed the rest of the forms before pointing to the parts of the forms where Ralph needed to sign and having him sign. 

“Okay, so we’re done. Welcome to the coven.”, Walter said and the rest of the team applauded politely. 

“Can I skip school today to celebrate?”, Ralph asked his mother, “Please?”

Paige sighed and shook her head.

“You missed school last week, you’re going today...”

“Can we stay for dinner tonight?”, Ralph asked as Paige helped him put on his backpack.

“That’s up to Walter...”, Paige replied.

Ralph ran over to Walter and looked up at his mentor.

“Can mom and I stay for dinner tonight?”, Ralph asked.

Walter really couldn’t deny the boy anything.

“Sure thing buddy.”, he replied, ruffling the boy’s hair and smiling when he beamed up at him, “Now try to have a good day at school.”

Ralph nodded and bounded over to the door.

Walter didn’t miss the way Paige smiled at him, nor how her scent changed from nurturing and warm around Ralph to positively alluring and spicy when she passed his desk. 

The instant that Paige was gone, Toby looked over at Walter.

“I saw that look and I think every vampire within a mile radius of this garage could smell that change in Paige’s pheromone output.”, The shrink sniffed and wrinkled his nose, “and now you’re reciprocating...”

“I am not  _reciprocating_.”, Walter replied, changing his very responsive scent to one of disinterest.

“Don’t lie to me, Walter, I’ve known you for too long to fall for that... besides, I can smell it. You’re lucky that Paige isn’t even a half vampire and can’t sense these things because if she could, that response from you would have been an instant aphrodisiac for her. You want to tell me what’s going on between you and her or will I just guess?”, the shrink said, “Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you’re trying to attract her as a mate.”

“I am  _not_ trying to attract her as a mate.”, Walter insisted, “I don’t believe in mates or love.”

“Okay then, you pathetic emotionless dumpster fire, be that way.”, Toby replied, “But your scent doesn’t lie...”

“He’s right Walter, as much as I’d hate to admit it.”, Happy replied, “If I were attracted to the scent of lavender, pine, and rain, I’d be on you in an instant...”

“What are you attracted to?”, Toby asked the mechanic.

“I haven’t had the chance to find out.”, She replied with a shrug and went back to her work.

“Same…”, The shrink replied, gazing at Happy as she soldered away on something.

Walter noticed the way Toby looked at Happy and wondered vaguely if he wore the same longing look whenever he gazed at Paige.

“I just got off the phone with Merrick, we got a case! Three convicts have escaped from prison, including a hacker. We’re needed at Homeland. Let’s move!”, Cabe announced and the team sprang into action, quickly bringing Paige up to speed when she returned.

The case was resolved by the end of the day and when Paige returned to the garage with Ralph, Walter noticed her tight lipped expression as the phone in the garage began ringing.

“Uh…I couldn’t help but notice that you look less than pleased about something…”, Walter stated, approaching the young mother.

“Yeah… I just got a text from—“, she began and then  a voice echoed through the garage on the answering machine.

“Oh God,”, she muttered and rushed downstairs as a man named Drew left a message specifically for Paige.

“What’s the rush?”, Toby asked her as she just missed Drew’s call, “And who was that on the phone?”

“That was an acquaintance of mine…”, she replied.

“He must’ve been important to get you to come running…”

“Drew’s an old friend…”, she said.

“Hold up, he just went from acquaintance to old friend in three seconds _and_ you’re placing your hand over your abdomen, signaling a protective subconscious inclination to defend the place that once held a child…”, Toby stated.

Walter felt his heart and his stomach drop to his abdomen, even though it was scientifically impossible for that to happen.

He knew what Toby was getting at.

“Is Drew Ralph’s father?”, Walter felt himself ask as a sort of numb feeling spread throughout his body.

The frown on Paige’s face was all the confirmation he needed.

 


	3. Megan's Discovery

“Is Drew Ralph’s father?”, Walter asked.

Paige nodded and confirmed it.

“Yes, Drew is Ralph’s father.”

“I didn’t know Ralph had a father.”, Sylvester stated.

“Then how exactly do you think babies are made?”, Happy asked Sylvester.

“Oh you know what I meant...”, he replied.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Ralph’s father plays minor league baseball... we moved a lot from team to team and then I decided that I’d had enough of the moving but I was still hanging on for Ralph’s sake so when Drew and I settled in L.A. and I found out that he’d been cheating, I decided to stay in L.A. with Ralph and Drew went his own way to continue playing ball elsewhere...”

“How long has Drew been away?”, Happy asked.

“The last time he saw Ralph was about seven years ago.”, Paige replied.

“Wow he sounds like the real father of the year, sorry,  _seven years_...”, Toby replied sarcastically. 

“Perhaps we really should do a quick background check on Drew, before we let him see Ralph...”, Sylvester said.

Paige sighed and crossed her arms.

“Look I appreciate how protective you are of Ralph and I, and I know that even without the coven contracts, you’d be asking the same questions and making the same suggestions, but it’s not any of your business who I allow into my life, or Ralph’s life. I’ll make that decision on my own.”, Paige replied firmly. 

As much as it made Walter’s gut twist, he still had to admit that Paige was right. They couldn’t tell her who she and Ralph were allowed to speak to or meet.

“I agree with Paige,”, Walter replied.

“Thank you, Walter.”, Paige said.

“You’re welcome... you have every right to make this decision on your own.”, Walter said, even as the words left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Paige checked her watch.

“I gotta go get Ralph from school, want me to pick up anything on my way?”, she asked.

“Nah, go get Ralph, dinner’s on us...”, Walter said, as his stomach did an odd little flip when she smiled kindly.

The second Paige had drove off, the team rounded on Walter.  

“Really Walter?”, Toby asked, an incredulous look on his face, “This guy could be a complete psycho and you’re letting Paige call the shots? Listen I know it’s her right to see who she wants, but I know you care for Ralph, but know that we care about him just as much as you do... We won’t let him get hurt by the man who left him for a sport years ago...”

“Walter, I have a feeling that this Drew guy is not good...”, Happy said.

“Happy feels it too, and she’s hardly ever wrong...”, Toby said, “Now I’m  _really_ concerned for Paige and Ralph’s well-being...”

Walter looked at the rest of the team expectantly.

“Are you all finished now?”, he asked.

“Yeah, Drew seems a bit shady...”, Sylvester added.

“Well then. Let me be clear, I don’t like the idea of Drew coming back any more than the rest of you. I think it’ll be bad for Ralph, especially if Drew ends up leaving again.”, Walter replied, “But, it’s not our place to decide... that decision is left up to Paige and Paige alone.”

Walter let his words sink in and watched as his teammates shuffled awkwardly.

“Are we clear? Any questions?”, Walter asked.

“Nope.”, Happy replied, going back to her station.

The rest of the team went their own ways to work on separate projects and Walter went and ordered pizza.

Then Walter’s phone rang. 

It was Megan.

“Hey Megan, what’s going on?”, he answered.

“Hey little bro... listen, I need to call in a favor.”

“What is it?”, Walter asked.

“Well, I’m going a little stir crazy in here... sure we go out some days and all but I was just thinking, we have lived in L.A. for years now, and I  _still_ have never been to your place... would it be too much to ask for you to pick me up and I’ll hang out overnight?”, Megan asked, “Whatcha doing anyway?”

“I’m about to run out to get some pizza.”, He replied.

“What’s the occasion? Or is it just dinner?”, she asked.

“New coven members.”, he replied.

“Ooh, can I come?”, she asked, “I’ve never met your coven before...”

Walter shrugged. He was in a giving mood and he never got to see his sister.

“C’mon Walter... God knows how many days I’ve got left...”, she said, “Do they even know you have an older sister?”

“No they don’t, but I’ll bring you over. Be ready to go in ten minutes.”, he replied.

“Thanks little bro! I’ll see you soon!”, Megan said and hung up. 

“Who was that?”, asked Sylvester as he set the table.

“My older sister.”, Walter replied.

Happy dropped her wrench onto her anvil with a clang, the sound of Cabe’s cleaner rag swishing over his handgun stopped, Sylvester dropped a plate but caught it before it could hit the floor with his vampire-fast reflexes, and Toby coughed on his water.

“I didn’t know you had a sister...”, Sylvester said, “Why have you never mentioned her?”

Walter coughed a little.

“My sister, Megan, she has MS...”, he replied, “I’m also not a very open person when it comes to my family... Cabe was the only one here who knew about Megan... She lives in a hospital where she’s being treated.”

“Doesn’t she know that you could heal her with one bite?”, Happy asked.

Walter laughed.

“Megan has always been very tenacious about her fight with MS, I asked her a few times before if she ever wanted me to change her, and every time I’ve asked, she’s refused.”, Walter replied.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll all enjoy her company...”, Toby said, “Now what are you standing around here for? You’ve got pizzas and your sister to acquire...”

Walter nodded and left.

Megan was waiting in the lobby when Walter pulled up in his Datsun and Megan smiled. 

“All this government work an all that brainpower and you’re still rollin’ around town in this old thing?”, she laughed good-naturedly. 

“Hey, it’s efficient...”

“You say that about everything.”, Megan said, rolling her eyes, “A SmartCar would be more efficient...” 

Walter laughed.

“It’s good to see that you’re doing well...”, Walter said.

“Thanks.”

They drove to the pizza place and Megan held the pizzas while Walter drove them back to the garage.

“This is where you live?”, she asked.

“Is it not what you expected?”, he asked.

Megan laughed. 

“Oh no, it’s  _exactly_  what I expected...”, she replied, “Plenty of room to work... that’s just like you...”

Walter drove into the garage and then he took the pizzas from Megan before helping her up onto her crutches. 

The team came flocking to her.

“Hi, I’m Sylvester... Walter has told us so much about you.”, Sylvester lied politely.

Megan quickly called his bluff.

“No he hasn’t.”, she said with a knowing smirk on her face.

Sylvester smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

“No he hasn’t.”

“Hey. Dr. Tobias M. Curtis.” ,Toby introduced with a handshake and a flourish.

“It's a pleasure.”, Megan said, grinning.

 “Hey, I’m Happy.”, Happy introduced herself.

“And I’m dying but you don’t hear me telling everyone about it.”, Megan said.

Everyone shuffled awkwardly except Toby.

“Yes! Inappropriate self-deprecating humor to put others at ease. I like your approach!”, the shrink said as he put cups on the table.

“I like your hat.”, Megan replied and Toby smiled.

A few beats of silence passed.

“Can I sit?”, she asked. 

The team quickly made accommodations for her at the table and Walter pointed out the small bathroom that was located in the back corner of the garage so that Megan wouldn't have to fight the stairs if the need arose. 

When Paige and Ralph returned, they met Megan and Walter couldn’t help but notice how Megan looked at him when he introduced them.

She was smiling like she had a secret that she was holding over Walter’s head, but she didn’t say anything about it.

“Ralph, “, Megan began, “you remind me of Walter when he was your age... and you’re a vampire too, how interesting. Tell me, have you tried blood yet?”

Ralph and Megan began talking about all kinds of things, from being a vampire to how Walter was as a child, and for once, Walter didn’t really care that his business was being put out there, he was happy to see Megan and Ralph having a good time.

When they all sat down to eat, Walter asked Ralph how his day went and listened intently to the boy as he told him how dull the academic part of it was but how he also managed to keep his mind busy. 

When Paige asked how art and gym went, Ralph told her how he saw a painting in art class that he liked because of the geometry in it and then how he calculated the arc and trajectory of a football during it’s spiral flight. He told them how he threw it perfectly using his knowledge of physics that he had learned from Walter and how he had ended up throwing a perfect touchdown pass. 

Walter felt a ripple of pride move through him at that and reached over to ruffle the boy’s hair, an act that didn’t go unnoticed by Megan.

“I’m proud of you for trying your best and being successful... that’s not easy...”, Walter told the young boy.

 Ralph nodded and smiled at his mentor.

Unlike the rest of the geniuses, Ralph had apparently inherited an ability to perform well in sports and have a small appreciation for the arts, no doubt gifts from the combined personalities and abilities of his biological father and Paige, but Walter didn’t mind. A well-rounded approach to life could mean success in more areas than just those that dealt with math and science.

Walter remembered what Cabe had said about Paige potentially being his mate and wondered if Ralph would continue to accept him and look up to him if he decided to pursue his interest in Paige.

He looked up and saw Megan and Sylvester engaging in conversation. They got started talking about comic books and then Sylvester was off like a rocket, and Megan was firing back just as rapidly about her own comic book collection.

For a split second, he saw how happy they looked and just then, Paige’s phone began to ring and she answered it.

Walter refocused on the young mother and watched as the grin on Paige’s face turned into a frown.

“Drew... Uh Hey....yeah yeah, long time and all...”, She laughed easily but even a blind man could tell that her laugh was just for show, “Um we’re fine... How did you manage to get my cell number?”, she asked, standing up from the table and giving Walter this look that practically told him to watch Ralph.

Walter watched as the young mother paced with her phone, clearly nervous. She was scuffing the heel of her shoe on the floor and picking at her nailpolish, something she only did when she was unsure and anxious.

Ralph went to the bathroom upstairs and while he was gone, Paige addressed the team again.

“Hold on...I’ll call you back in a few...”. she said, as she crossed back to the team and ended the call.

“Um Drew wants to see Ralph now... he’s in the area... my former boss didn’t give him my address, thank God, because I don’t know if I want him finding out where I live... so can he just come to the garage?”, Paige asked.

The coven looked at each other.

“May I ask what’s going on?” Megan asked.

“Long story short: my ex, Ralph’s father, Drew, is back in town. I haven’t seen or heard from him in seven years. He basically abandoned Ralph and I and now he’s back and wants to meet up. He got my cell phone number and the number for the garage from my old boss. Now I want to know if I can have Drew and Ralph meet here because I don’t want him having my address if he’s no good.”, Paige replied.

Megan nodded.

“It’s all up to Walter... I personally think it’d be better to meet in a public park or ice cream shop in the area, that way Drew can’t stalk you home from here after work, but that’s just me...”, Toby shrugged.

Walter nodded.

“I’m going to have to go with Toby on this one... “, Walter said, “I think you would have known if Drew was a vampire or even half, but if he is and you didn’t know, we’re going to have to meet on neutral ground.”

“You know, that isn’t such a bad idea... but I don’t want to be alone... can we all go out to a park later, that way you all can be close by if I need some support?”, Paige asked.

“I thought you wanted us to butt out. What changed your mind?”, Happy asked, raising a brow.

“Well, I was giving some thought to what happened earlier, and I’d rather have a bunch of people whom I know I can trust on my side with this versus just myself and my preconceptions...”, Paige replied, “I mean, it’s been seven years since the last time I saw Drew... people change a lot in seven years, I know I did. I just don’t want to go into this blind...”

“What are you asking us to do, Paige?”, Walter asked, getting to his feet.

“I’m asking you to find out everything you can about Drew Baker. Criminal records, credit scores, emails, social networking accounts, his pitching averages, flight records, whatever you can find...”, she said, casting a glance towards the loft where Ralph was and lowering her voice, “I just want my son to be safe.”

Walter felt something shift deep inside of him and he felt a strong paternal pull towards protecting the boy too.

His scent must’ve changed too because the rest of the team that could sense these changes knew that Walter would do anything and everything in his power to protect the young fledgling from harm.

Paige called Drew back and told him that they would meet with some friends of hers at a public park and the coven sprang into action on their various computers and began digging up whatever they could find on Drew Baker.

Paige explained to Ralph that the team was checking to make sure Drew was safe before they went and met him at the park. 

Walter was pulling Drew’s emails when he heard Ralph ask Paige a question that broke him a little.

“Mom, are you making sure that Drew... er... Dad will be safe because of me? I can’t hurt people, not even if I bite them... I’m like other kids... Is it because I’m different from other people that he has to be kept safe?”

Paige sighed.

“Oh no, no, of course not... I just want to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble with other people before coming to see us. It’s not your fault at all...”, she replied.

“Then why did he leave?”, Ralph asked, “Was it because I was different?”

“He wanted to play baseball and I couldn’t keep moving around... your father and I were arguing a lot and then he just left.”

“He was mad at you?”

“We were mad at each other and we didn’t know how to communicate well.”

Ralph nodded.

“I kind of wish he could’ve just stayed away...”, Ralph said quietly.

Paige crouched down to his level.

“Why is that?”, she whispered.

Ralph shrugged.

“At school today we talked about parents and this kid in my class named Danny said that he wanted to grow up to be just like his dad... But I’m not like my dad... I’m different...”, Ralph said, “I don’t think I really want to grow up to be just like my dad either...”

“You can be just like yourself if you want to...”, Paige said softly.

Walter smiled. He may not understand romantic love, but maternal love was something he understood quite well because Paige expressed it so perfectly towards Ralph.

“I want to grow up to be like someone else...”, Ralph said.

“Who?”, Paige asked.

“Walter. He likes science and rockets and math and he knows how to hunt and he can show me how to be a good genius and a good vampire...”, Ralph replied, “He’s proud of me and he never abandoned us... mom, Walter makes you smile a lot... I like that...”

Walter felt his eyes misting up and faked a yawn to cover it up. 

He was so moved that Ralph wanted to look up to him instead of his own father.  _Him!_ Walter O’Brien! 

Walter turned away from Ralph and Paige and caught Megan sitting there right next to him, also watching the mother and son interact.

“Walter, you must be feeling very happy right now...”, she murmured.

“I don’t know what you mean...”, he replied, keeping his face emotionless.

“Walt, come off it. That kid just said he wanted to grow up to be you.... he just told his mother how he wishes that his father wasn’t here so that he could be with you more.”, Megan sighed, “Don’t tell me that hearing him say that doesn’t make you feel anything.”

“I don’t have emotions...”, he said, although he knew it was pretty much useless to lie to Megan.

“Bullshit. I'm crippled, not blind... this kid makes me feel like a cool aunt... I like him and Paige is sweet to everyone but she likes you a lot, I can tell...”

Before Walter could reply, Toby spoke up to the whole team.

“Hey, I got into his credit card account and tracked his purchases. It would seem that Drew loves to travel... He recently bought two tickets to Rome... Business Class.... and he bought only one First Class ticket back to the States.”

“Did he buy anything while he was in Rome?”, Cabe asked.

“Um...he got a hotel room...did as the Romans do... went out to eat a few nights... went and bought a tuxedo....It’s all pretty sporadic...”

Walter flipped through the email account and found emails that were from before his trip.

“I found some emails to a couple mysterious people... one only referred to as “E.M.” and the only things discussed were travel plans concerning the trip to Rome.”, Walter stated.

“What about the other mysterious person?”, Cabe asked.

“Um... someone named ‘Bible Torah’...”, Walter shrugged, “Their parents were probably Christian and Jewish... They were talking about meeting someone in the West Villa in Rome...”

“Well trace those email addresses...”, Sly suggested.

Walter tried to find the accounts linked with the addresses but frowned when his search came up blank.

“I got nothing. The accounts were deleted and whoever deleted them knew what they were doing because there are literally no traces of this account ever existing besides in Drew’s account...”

“That’s shady...”, Happy muttered.

“Yeah because if they wanted to be completely erased, they would have hacked into everything and got rid of their signatures...” 

“Okay... anything else?”, Paige asked.

  “His criminal records are clean aside from a few minor traffic violations here and there.”, Sylvester stated. 

“His credit score is average...”, Toby replied.

“Um we should get going. I told Drew we’d be there soon...”, Paige said, holding Ralph’s hand.

“Um, I’m going to hang out here...”, Megan said as Walter went with Paige and Ralph in Paige’s car and the rest of the team climbed into the van.

“Okay... uh, Sly, would you mind it if I asked you to hang out with Megan?”, Walter asked.

Sylvester shook his head.

“I don’t mind at all... I’ll keep digging and I’ll tell you if I find anything.”, he replied. 

The tension in the car was thick, as was the silence and Walter could tell that Paige was nervous by the way she was clutching the steering wheel. 

Her knuckles were white and Walter could hear her heart racing.

“Paige... I don’t have emotions, but even I can tell that you’re panicking...”, he said.

“Oh, it’s nothing... It’s only been seven years since I’ve seen or heard from this man and suddenly he’s back and pretending like things will go back to the way they were before all of this...”, Paige replied.

“That sounds like a very good reason to be anxious then...”, he replied.

Just then, Walter’s phone rang.

He answered it.

“Hello?”

_“Yeah it’s me, Sylvester...”_

“Did you find anything?”, Walter asked.

_“Can you put me on speaker?”_

Walter put him on speaker.

“Go on Sly... what did you find?” 

 _“Well I just searched his pitching averages... and they’ve been improving since his little trip to Rome....”_ , Sylvester stated,  _“He gained speed on his most recent recorded fastballs and he’s pitching at speeds that are better than what they were at the beginning of his career....”_

“That’s weird...”, Paige stated as they pulled up to the park and the van pulled in next to them.

When they were all gathered, Sylvester repeated what he had told Walter, Paige, and Ralph.

“Paige are you sure you want to go through with this?”, Cabe asked, “Nobody will think you’re wrong if you decide not to...”

“I think I’ve come this far...”, Paige said.

“Well in that case, we’ll be right here the whole time...”

“Okay now... let’s go meet your father...”, Paige said to Ralph and the boy nodded.

Paige and Walter walked with Ralph in between them on the path as the rest of the team followed.

“Do you see him?”, Walter asked, trying to recognize Drew by his face, which he had seen on his passport and driver’s license. 

“Um... there. Black jacket, red shirt.”, she said and the man she had pointed out rose from his spot on a park bench and waved.

“Hey Paige!!”, Drew called.    

“Seems cheery, but the smile doesn't meet his eyes...”, Toby muttered.

Their group walked over and then the scent of fresh, warm blood wafted over them. There was also a smell of terror and something that was faintly herbal.

It didn’t sit well with Walter and he tensed up. He could sense that there was a vampire nearby, but it couldn’t be Drew because his scent would be stronger, much stronger. 

There weren’t any other people in their vicinity...

The rest of the coven took note and stiffened too.

“Paige...”, Drew smiled before embracing the young woman and then kneeling down to look at Ralph.

“Hello Ralph...”

“Hey Drew... uh... Dad...”, Ralph replied before taking a few steps back to be shielded by Walter’s leg. The boy knew something was amiss by the way that the rest of the team responded.

“Oh um.... these are my friends. This is Walter O'Brien, Agent Cabe Gallo, Happy Quinn, and Dr. Toby Curtis.”

“Pleasure to meet you all...”, Drew said, flashing a smile that didn’t meet his eyes, “So are you guys like a team?”

“We’re team Scorpion, yes...”, Walter replied.

“Wait, you’re the people Paige works with?”, Drew asked.

“Yeah....”, Walter replied, not liking where this conversation was going.

“Um may I ask why Ralph is with them then?”, Drew asked Paige.

“Ask him yourself, he can speak you know...”, Happy muttered.

Drew ignored her.

“Paige?”, Drew asked taking a step towards the young mother, his tone growing slightly darker, his scent becoming more tense.

Walter took a step forward and put his hand out slightly in case he needed to pull Ralph or Paige behind him and shield them from Drew.

“Drew, I don’t like your tone.”, Paige replied firmly, reaching a hand out to place on Ralph’s shoulder.

Drew nodded.

“I’m just asking a question, don’t I have that right?”, he said, “After all, Ralph is my son...”, he added, glancing for a split second at Walter as he did, almost like he needed to put the genius in his place. 

“No, you  _don’t_ have a right to question me or how I choose to raise  _my_ son.”, Paige stated firmly, her defensive scent becoming extremely powerful and radiating off of her in waves, mingling with Drew’s annoyance, “You lost that right when you walked out on us!”, she replied and grasped Ralph’s hand and turned to walk away.

“Don’t walk away from me!”, Drew said, his anger breaking through in his scent and his tone.

Drew went to extend his hand to grab Paige’s shoulder but she whipped around and smacked his hand away.

“Don’t ever touch me again!”, Paige demanded and Walter heard Happy’s knuckles crack, a sure sign that the mechanic was close to beating Drew into a pulp if he didn’t straighten his act out.

Walter saw the split second flash of scarlet in Drew’s eyes and then he sprang into a defensive stance, pulling Paige and Ralph behind his body to protect them.

Walter could feel Paige’s hands on his back, the heat from them caused twin firebrands to seep through his shirt and spiral out across his cooler body. It was an intoxicating feeling when the heat  mingled with his adrenaline and it gave him both the strength and restraint he needed to address Drew. 

“What are you?”, Walter demanded, “I can smell a vampire nearby, but it’s so faint that I doubt it’s you...”

“Well, it’s not every day that I get to tell a genius with an IQ of 197 that he’s wrong...”, Drew said with an evil grin, his fangs emerging and his eyes turning red.

Walter was confused for a split second and he cast glances to either side of him to see the rest of the team with their eyes turned red and their fangs bared.

They would defend Paige and Ralph by his side. 

“How did you manage to mask your scent?”, Toby asked.

“If I told you then it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”, Drew replied.

Cabe attempted to remove Paige and Ralph from the scene but Drew hissed in warning.

“Wait...I still want to speak to Paige about something...”, Drew said and Paige faced him.

“What do you want?”, she asked.

“Several things. First, I want to have you changed so that you and I can be better parents to Ralph, that way he’ll have two vampires instead of being mentored by this group of nutcases....”

Happy hissed in warning and Toby whispered to her to please calm down.

Drew smirked in her direction.

“My state of being is none of your concern and this group of ‘nutcases’ happens to be a better family for Ralph and I than anything you could have ever given us, now if you’re finished, we’ll be going...”, Paige snapped back before turning away.

“Fine then. I’ll fight you for the custody of Ralph....”, Drew stated and Paiged stopped in her tracks, her shoulders slumping.

“Then I’ll fight back and win, there’s no sane lawyer or judge who would have a child removed from his mother and given to the father who abandoned him.”, she replied, squaring her shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes before turning sharply and beginning to walk away.

“Get back here, I’m nowhere near finished with you...”, Drew hissed.   

“Oh I think you are...”, Walter replied, half surprised at how dark and deadly his own voice sounded.

“You’re forgetting who they belonged to first! ”, Drew spat and lunged forward.

Drew was quick but Walter was quicker and Walter grabbed him by his neck  and threw him back ten feet.

“Paige and Ralph don’t belong to anyone!”, Walter roared in anger, “How dare you speak to them like they are nothing but possessions!”

“And who are you to defend them?”, Drew spat, “I’ll just have to take what’s rightfully mine then...”

Drew stood and advanced towards them only to recoil and cringe before dropping to his knees. 

Walter looked at Happy and found her staring hard at Drew, channeling all of her anger into her gaze.

She was the one causing this.

Happy’s ability to project pain had improved since he had first met her, they all knew because she’d projected onto Toby once when he’d crossed a line she warned him not to cross before. The psychiatrist then wound up staggering back into his desk chair a moment later, clutching his stomach and muttering about his liver.

That had only been mild anger. 

Drew was on the ground now, gasping for air and clutching his chest.

Happy was pissed.

“Hap, you have to stop...”, Toby said and when Drew only twitched more, he continued.

“Happy, you need to stop now...”

“Shove it doc, I’m teaching him a lesson...”, she growled.

Her voice had grown lethal and hollow and it was a frightening thing to behold.

“Happy! I don’t like him either but you need to stop before you kill him!”, Toby said, grabbing the mechanic by her wrist, forcing her to blink and break concentration, thus breaking her projection.

Walter backed away, still protecting Paige and Ralph even as Drew coughed and inhaled deeply.

Happy had drained herself of her energy and Toby was supporting her carefully as they all hurried back to the parking lots.

They all drove back to the garage as fast as they could and then Walter gathered them all for a discussion.

“Okay, we now know a few things. One, Drew is a vampire.”, Walter stated, “He is after Paige and Ralph...”

“He was changed... he wasn’t like that when I knew him seven years ago...”, Paige added as Ralph laid there on the sofa with his head in his mother’s lap and slept as though nothing had happened.

 “It wasn’t natural the way he masked his scent... the methods for making masking tonics are old pieces of occult medicine... they can’t be made with just anything.”, Toby said as he piled blankets onto Happy as she shivered on the air mattress they had blown up upon her request.

Toby knelt down beside her with a mason jar full of blood and mixed with a bunch of other things to help cure her projection hangover and help her sleep, sticking a straw in it so she could sip from it. Happy was far too weak to be on her own that night and Walter had offered his bed or the upstairs sofa to her, but she insisted on being put on an air mattress in the work area. 

“How do you make a masking tonic anyway? I’ve heard of them before...”, Cabe asked.

“I honestly have no clue. It requires a lot of investment of time and money and is usually only made by a select few vampires out there.”, Toby replied, “If it’s made right, then it should be impossible to tell if the vampire is actually a vampire...”

“Well then, whomever made Drew’s tonic must’ve been kind of bad at it because I could still smell him a little.”, Walter added as he draped a blanket over Ralph’s sleeping form.

“Maybe they weren't bad at making it, per se...”, Megan said as Sly helped her over to the sofa with this soft look in his eyes, as if he had the honor of being in her presence.

“Maybe it was their first time making it...”, Megan and Sylvester said in unison before looking at each other and smiling. Sylvester hurried off when he caught Walter looking at him with a raised eyebrow as if to ask him what he was doing.

“That’s the most logical reason I can come up with.”, Toby said as he placed the empty mason jar in the sink before sitting on a beanbag chair near Happy’s bedside and gazing down at the mechanic.

Walter could tell that something was forming between the two of them but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Happy didn’t have anything to say, she was sleeping soundly and there was a very faint golden glow coming from her, indicating that she was in a deep healing sleep. 

“What I can’t figure out is how he would know that you had an IQ of 197...”, Paige murmured as Walter sat beside her. 

Walter gazed down at where the sleeping fledgling laid and how his mother stroked his hair lovingly. 

“Yeah... my IQ isn’t public information... I’ll tell someone that I have an IQ of 197 if they call me Einstein, but barely anyone else knows...”, Walter replied, “Which means that I have to narrow down the people I’ve told and compile a list so that I can find out who might have a connection to Drew.”

Walter already knew that he would protect Paige and Ralph to his death but something new was compelling him to be there for Ralph as a father figure, not just as a friend and to be there for Paige as more than just her boss and friend too.

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.

They had more important things to worry about, such as finding out who Drew was in contact with that changed him and made him the masking tonic, as they had established that Drew had neither the time or the means of making one himself.  However, Drew was a baseball player, so he certainly had the funds.

They needed to find out who Drew was working with and see if that person was a threat to Scorpion.

“So I made a list of all the things we know so far about this situation... Our main people to go after are ‘Bible Torah’ and ‘E.M.’... my guess is that Drew was changed in Rome by a member of the  _Vecchio Ordine_... but that’s all I can think of right now.”, Sylvester said as he pushed a chalkboard over to where everyone could see it.

“Maybe ‘Bible Torah’ is code for something...”, Paige suggested.

“Or it could be just a made up name... that’s all that email addresses usually are these days.”, Walter replied and Paige shrugged.

“But this person wanted to get caught, remember...”, Toby said, “So whomever this is knew what sort of connection Drew had to Paige and what connection Paige had to you. Remember, that’s the only way that Drew could’ve known your IQ...”

“Well, do you have any enemies?”, Cabe asked.

“Well there’s always Mark Collins, but he’s supposedly in an institution somewhere... at least that’s where he was the last time I looked him up...”

“Good, that psycho-freak belongs in an institution, especially after he forced you down the Rabbit Hole....If it wasn’t for Happy, you probably would have died....”, Toby said, “He would have done  _anything_ to get to you and try to hurt and kill you again...”

Megan just got a funny look on her face and then she began murmuring to herself.

Walter noticed this and before he could ask, Megan’s eyes grew wide and she stood up and hobbled over to the chalkboard.

“I know who Bible Torah is... I also know who made the tonic....”, she said.

“Here.”, Sly said, giving her the chalk. 

Megan began to write on the board and muttered, 

“I’m surrounded by four geniuses and one agent from Homeland Security and the girl with MS and an average IQ is the one to figure this out?”

“Figure what out?”, Walter asked.

“I do anagrams all day, I rearrange the letters in words and phrases to pass the time... so naturally I figured this out quickly... Do you want to know what the anagram of Bible Torah is?”

She turned around and there, written in big letters and Megan’s perfect script, were two words that turned Walter’s blood even colder than it already was.

_**"Rabbit Hole”** _


	4. An Unlikely Alliance

“Megan, you’re a genius...”, Toby said and helped her back to her seat. 

“I try.”, Megan shrugged.

“Rabbit Hole?”, Sylvester laughed nervously, his eyes wide as he read the words Megan had just written, “You think Mark Collins is working with Drew?”

“Well, ‘Rabbit Hole’ isn’t a term you come across often, is it?”, Megan asked.

“No, I know that, it’s just...it’s _Mark Collins_....”, Sylvester replied, wringing his hands.

Walter understood Sylvester’s anxiety completely and didn’t blame him for it at all.

Mark Collins had always hated Sylvester for being Walter’s closest friend out of the group and had, on many occasions, found humor in making Sly anxious and watching the statistical theoretician second guess himself. 

Mark Collins tormented Sylvester like a cat torments a mouse before killing it. 

Megan noticed Sylvester’s anxiety and nodded.

“I get why you’re upset and skeptical about this, really, I do... Walter told me about Collins, namely how that psycho tried to kill him...”, Megan replied as she went back to her spot on the sofa.

“He was close to succeeding too...”, Toby added as he placed his index and middle fingers on Happy’s carotid artery and looked at his watch, measuring her pulse, “Happy saved his life...”

“Um... I know this kind of sounds like a really stupid question but who is Mark Collins?”, Paige asked.

Walter replied.

“Well, when I founded Scorpion, my plan was to only employ the best and the brightest, which I have. Mark Collins is a full-blooded, born vampire who is a direct descendent of one of the founding members of the  _Vecchio Ordine_ , which is the first Old World vampire coven and it doubles as the vampire government. Anyway, Collins was brilliant. He was insane and only preyed on live humans, but he was smart. He had the ability to control minds, that’s how he sent me down the Rabbit Hole.”

“Now what’s the Rabbit Hole?”, Paige asked.

“It’s like sleepwalking in a coma. The mind and body are awake and functioning, but that’s about it. When one is in such a state, they don’t eat, drink, sleep, or take care of their personal hygiene, all they care about is whatever task has been set to them.”, Toby explained, “It can happen to anyone really, but it happens more frequently to vampires and those who have high IQ’s.”

“Collins was jealous of my ties with the rest of the team, and wanted my genius all to himself, so he took full control of my mind, sent me down the Rabbit Hole, and nearly killed me in the process.”, Walter stated.

“How did you snap out of it?”, Paige asked.

“Well, it was Happy who broke Collins’s concentration... You saw what she did to Drew today? Well she did basically the same thing to Collins, only she was less powerful back then, so she beat him with a wrench to break his control. Walter had just been fed on fresh human blood, so he was strong enough to help us force Collins out of the garage.”, Sylvester replied.

“We became a coven that night so that we would have the the right to act with lethal force if he returned.”, Walter added.

“So the  _Vecchio Ordine_ has laws put down that allows a coven to kill another vampire if said vampire threatens them?”, Paige asked.

“Correct.”, Toby replied.

“I have a lot of questions about this whole coven system, and the  _Vecchio Ordine,_ and just a lot about vampires in general... I’m raising one, so I want to be informed...”

“And you have every right to be informed... We’ll answer any question you could possibly have about this whole situation.”, Cabe replied as the rest of the coven nodded in agreement.

“Okay thanks... I guess my first question is why is it so important for a fledgling to have a vampire parent? Can’t a normal parent do the job just fine?”, She asked, gazing down at Ralph.

Walter’s heart went out to the young mother and he could feel her despair.

“I’m sure that a normal can raise a vampire just fine. None of us have really good things to say when it comes to our own parents. I was alienated and seen as a curse by my parents, first for my genius and then for being a vampire.”, Walter replied, “If it hadn’t been for Cabe, I wouldn’t have known how to face my changes with a clear head.”

“I was cast aside by two Old World style vampire parents because I couldn’t hunt normally without having a panic attack due to my germaphobia.”, Sylvester stated.

“My father was a halfling with a gambling addiction. He used to take me to the races and casinos because he knew I had a gift for reading people. My mother was technically a vampire, only she was an example of what happens when a halfling changes someone. Now a mature vampire’s venom takes on average three hours to fully change a normal. A halfling has weaker venom, and they can change normals to vampires, only it takes about a week and the transformation is always painful. The pain from her transformation drove her insane and she killed herself when I was fifteen.”, Toby stated.

“Happy told me that her foster parents tried to kill her.”, Paige said slowly.

“My parents were expecting me to be a halfling, but I kind of disappointed them when I became mature because I didn’t want to join the coven and become a mercenary, as most halflings are in Old World style covens...So I left and went off on my own.”, Cabe explained.

 “I want to be the best parent I possibly can be... for his sake... I know I may not have a genius level IQ like he does, but I still want to connect with him, no matter what it takes...”, Paige said softly.

“We’re all here to help you in whatever way you need us to...”, Walter said.

“I need to protect him and help him through his changes like any good mother would...”

“And you will, you’ll have lots of help from us...”, Toby added.

 “Thanks...”

The room was quiet for a little while until Paige spoke again.

“So what is the  _Vecchio Ordine_ , besides the vampire government?”, she asked.

“Well, they’re a group of old, wealthy families from Italy and the surrounding European and Mediterranean countries who joined together and formed a coven that in some way, big or small, governs the world’s civilized vampire population. They are like a bunch of royal families who organize themselves into a parliamentary system to form decisions. They have their own Doctrine, most of it is in Latin, but it fully explains everything about them, their laws and the punishments for breaking the laws.”, Cabe explained, “There are the ruling families, then the gifted ones, the enforcers, the benefactors, and then the normals who have been born into the families. Those normals are later changed in a mass ceremony.”

“So what’s the deal with the gifted ones... is it possible that Drew may be gifted?”, Paige asked.

“The gifted ones are the most valued out of all the vampires in the eyes of the  _Vecchio Ordine_  and there are many gifts out there that science cannot fully explain.”, Walter replied.

Paige nodded.

“The main benefactor family for the  _Vecchio Ordine_ happens to be headed up by a man named Richard Elia, who is wealthy, like, filthy, stinkin, rolling in the piles of money type of wealthy...”, Toby said , “He’s got a lot of power and works directly with the core ruling family, the Moretti’s.”

“Is Collins related to them?”, Paige asked.

“No, thank God, then we’d never be rid of him.... He’s related to the Coletto family, which is still one of the original families but Collins’s ancestors were connected through a bonded mate, not bloodlines. When his ancestors immigrated, they probably changed their name and their accents to something less Italian and more Anglo-Saxon or British, that way they wouldn’t face quite as much discrimination as most european immigrants did during that time.”, Toby replied. 

“Wait... did you say that there was a  _bonded mate_  that led to the family unity? Is that some vampire thing or was it like an arranged marriage?”, Paige asked, “And does it still happen like that?”

A tense silence fell over the room and all eyes were on Walter, after all, Paige was the woman everyone thought was his mate (hell, he was starting to believe them, even being as stubborn as he was).

“Walter?”, Paige asked.

Walter faltered for a second and quickly recovered. 

He had been dreading this talk for a while now because the concept of mates to him was more fantasy than fact. He also didn’t want her to know that he could smell her emotions because that could lead to her being embarrassed and potentially forcing her to repress her emotions and, according to Toby, repression was unhealthy.

“Um, mates aren’t really something I believe in.”, he replied, hoping to dodge the subject, but Megan sent him one of her ‘oh really now?’ looks and he continued, “But they all start out with a scent. Vampires and halflings have heightened senses of smell.”

“How heightened?”, Paige asked.

“I can tell when you’re afraid of something just by inhaling.”, Walter replied.

“Oh...”, she nodded, “anyway, back to the mates...”

“Um, you should probably step away from Ralph for this discussion. We don’t want him waking up, catching part of this chat, and then asking about the birds and the bees...”, Toby suggested.

“Oh, good idea....”, Paige said.

“I’m pretty sure he already knows that babies come from two haploid gametes with 23 chromosomes, one male and one female, fusing together and making a diploid zygote with 46 chromosomes that divides to form a fetus and then is born in about 40 weeks ...”, Walter said and watched as Paige carefully removed herself from Ralph.

“And I plan to keep it that way for now, if you don’t mind.”, Paige replied.

She looked at Megan.

“Can you watch him for me?”, she asked and Megan nodded. 

“Thanks.”, Paige smiled.

“I’ll hack into surveillance cameras and try to find Drew. If we can track his whereabouts and observe his movements, we might be able to find out who he’s working with and what his next move will be.”, Sylvester said before hurrying off to his computer.

“An old colleague of mine lives in Rome and owns a cafe that a lot of vampires from the  _Vecchio Ordine_  frequent. He might have heard or seen something that could help us out.”, Cabe said.  

“And I’ll keep monitoring Happy...”, Toby said before shifting his attention back onto Happy.

Walter and Paige nodded before going up into the loft and sitting on the sofa.

“Okay, now where were we?”, she asked after a beat of silence. 

Walter took a deep breath and pressed onward as he sat down across from her.

“Like I said, scent drives everything for vampires and halflings. Normals have their own scents too. The only thing that matters is who can smell it and what their intentions are. For example, I can smell a deer on a hunt and determine how far away it is.”, Walter said, gesturing as he spoke, “Scent is linked to hormones and pheromones.”

“So emotions are really the driving force here...”, Paige stated.

“It’s a bit more in depth than that, but that’s it in a nutshell.”, he replied.

“And I have a scent?”

“All living things do...Normals can’t even smell theirs.”, Walter replied.

“Are they bad?”, she asked, “Is  _mine_ bad?”

Walter shook his head.

“Your scent isn’t repulsive to someone unless you want it to be.”

“How are mates related to scent then?”

“Well, the scent that someone gives off when they are uh, aroused, is really what matters.”

Paige’s eyebrows shot up and Walter began to get nervous, so he stood up and went to his kitchen.

“Can I get you anything?”, he asked.

“Water is fine, thanks...”, Paige replied, “Uh, you were saying...”

Walter paused in the kitchen.

It was easier to tell her about this without looking at her and reminding himself of how much he would like for her to be able to have heightened senses, that way he could reciprocate for her.

“The way it works for vampires and halflings is like this: a potential mate will release their scent, hoping to spark interest in another vampire or halfling. If the scent is pleasing to and reciprocated by the other party, the initiating potential mate will either find that the reciprocating scent is nice but not quite what they were looking for, not what they wanted at all, or they could find that the scent overwhelms them and becomes an instant and very potent aphrodisiac. Once that happens, there is a chance that, if the scent is an aphrodisiac, the initiating party will release a new scent that is best described as euphoria by those who have experienced it.”

Walter paused and went out to give Paige her water.

“So then I guess the other one would release their euphoria...”, she said and nodded her thanks. 

“Yes and then, well, you get the idea...”, Walter gestured vaguely.

“And you’re telling me that some covens still use this method to make matches?”, she asked before taking a sip.

“Yes.”, Walter replied, “But a life partner or spouse doesn’t necessarily have to be a mate.”

Paige nodded.

“I see...just like how some people settle down with the first person they meet, even though they have a feeling that someone better could be out there, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Exactly... Cabe married and had a child with a halfling that wasn’t his mate.”

Paige looked shocked.

“Really?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, their daughter died years ago and then Cabe and his wife got a divorce. His former wife remarried to her true mate and they have two children of their own now.”, Walter said quietly.

“Oh...I’m sorry to hear that...”, Paige said.

“Cabe is fine now, their divorce was more of a mutual agreement...”, Walter replied.

Paige was silent and her fingertip circled the rim of her glass before she spoke again.  

“Do you think that the only reason why Drew wants me turned is so that he can see if we’re mates? Like is it possible to hate someone that happens to be your mate, even if you were in love with them and had a connection in the past?”, She asked her eyes connecting with his and making Walter experience a fleeting wave of self-consciousness.

“It’s possible, yes, but not probable...”, Walter replied, sipping his water, “Remember, almost all vampires and halflings can control their scent to be inhibitory or excitatory...”

“Right, right...”, she sighed and looked away, massaging her temples, “I’m sorry about dragging you all into this...”

“I don’t--- _We_  don’t want you and Ralph in this situation by yourselves...”, Walter replied. 

There was a few moments of silence between them and Walter could tell that Paige was absorbed in her own thoughts.

“Paige?”, He asked, and she snapped out of her reflective state with her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised.

“Yes?”

“May I ask what you’re thinking about?”, he asked.

Paige nodded.   

“Yes of course...I’m wondering how it would be if I were-- well, you know...”, Paige said, gesturing vaguely in Walter’s direction.

“If you were what? A vampire? Or a genius?”, He supplied.

“A vampire... I’m not a genius like the rest of you are but maybe I could still connect with him if I was a vampire. I mean, do you think it would help Ralph?”, She asked, “I want to connect with him...be a good mom...”, Paige sniffed a little and wiped her eyes, “He’s a good kid, he deserves a good mom...”

Walter knew Paige was upset, he didn’t even have to inhale or have a higher EQ level to figure that one out. 

“Paige, this is a big decision. Please don’t rush yourself...”

“I know we already discussed this with everyone else, bit I want to know what you think so please hear me out... I think I would be a good vampire.”, she stated, “I could defend Ralph and myself. I would be a true member of the coven. Ralph would have the perfect family.”, she paused, “What do you think?”

Walter didn’t know what to say.

The tricky part was reassuring Paige that her current state of being as a normal human was good enough for Ralph, when in fact, he wanted to tell her that Ralph would most likely benefit from having his mother turned, even though there was no substantial evidence to support or refute that claim.   

He didn’t want her to turn under the pretense that she would be helping Ralph when it was really just to feed his selfish curiosity that had been sparked by his ‘reciprocation’.

He was changing and beginning to notice that emotions were now being factored into his decision-making process. 

He cleared his throat and decided to be honest with her.

“Paige. I have never been a normal human, I’ve been close to it when I was a child, and from what I’ve seen, human life can be a wonderful thing. I personally think that Ralph could and most likely will connect with you whether you’re a normal or a vampire. I have met people who were normal and none of them really chose to be turned. Most of them were turned by accident or because they were dying. It really is your choice to be turned or not, I won’t stop you or force you to do anything, but I’d rather keep things the way they are...”, Walter replied.

Paige nodded.

“Maybe you’re right... maybe being turned should be my last option... Thanks for this.”, Paige replied.

“No problem...”.

“I have another question though--”, Paige began.

“Walter, Paige, get down here... we found something that you’ll want to see!!”, Toby called, cutting Paige off.

Paige was on her feet in no time and Walter was following close behind, both of them rushing down the stairs and heading over to Toby’s desk, where everyone seemed to be crowding around a monitor where surveillance footage played.

“Hey, that’s my apartment...”, Paige said, noticing the number on the building, “But who are those people? I’ve never seen them before...”

“What people?”, Walter asked.

“They just went around back...”, she said, pointing.

“I can zoom in and rewind...”, Toby said, before doing just that and freezing the footage.

“Them?”, Walter asked, pointing at two men.

“Yeah... it’s  shame I can’t tell who they are...”, Paige replied.

“Their faces are pretty blurry but it’s the best I can do...”, Toby said.

“There’s a camera in the back by the parking lot... check that...”, Paige said.

“On it...”, Toby said.

Walter’s computer dinged and he went to check it as Cabe came back and hung up the phone.

“Find anything?”, Walter asked the agent.

“Well, Santino says that he never saw Drew, but then a gain he gets a lot of people who come through his place, so Drew might have been there.”, Cabe replied.

Walter shook his head and cursed under his breath as he raked his fingers through his messy curls.

“It’s not enough...”, Walter replied quietly, glancing back at the rest of the team, “We need more information and we need it fast.”

“Son, I know this means a lot to you, but you need to take it easy...”, Cabe said, “We want to keep them safe as much as you do, Hell, Happy is still passed out on an air mattress from trying to kill Drew, if that isn’t proof of how much we care then I don’t know what is.”

“Motivational speeches don’t work on me and you know it.”, Walter said.

“I’m not trying to motivate you, I’m telling you the truth, so you can take it or leave it,”, Cabe said and Walter nodded before the older man continued, “The point is that we’re all trying here and it won’t do anyone any good if you lose your temper, that’s all I’m going to say.’’ 

Walter nodded and took a deep breath before looking over at Ralph. The boy was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the world around him. 

“Okay”, Walter replied.

Paige gasped from behind them.

Walter spun on his heel and saw her face thrown into sharp relief from the light of the monitor.  

“That’s Drew... but why is he with Mr. Ray?”, she asked.

“Who is Mr. Ray?”, Megan asked, “And how can you tell it’s him? The video is so grainy...”

“Mr. Ray was one of the regulars from the diner... He was always so nice though. He never said anything cruel to anyone and he always tipped well. I can tell it’s him by the way he walks with a limp.”

Walter was walking over when Toby announced that he would try to make the video clearer.

“Do you think Drew knows that I live there?”, Paige asked Walter.

“Maybe... Was Mr. Ray there in the afternoons?”

“Yeah. In fact, he’d still be there when my shift was over and I went to get Ralph from school.”, Paige replied, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, this guy could have left shortly after you did and he could’ve followed you to Ralph’s school and to your apartment.”

“Creepy.”, Paige stated.

“Okay guys it’s clearer now... Hello Mr. Ray....”, Toby said and zoomed in on Mr. Ray’s face.

“That’s him all right. That’s Mr. Ray...”, Paige said.

Walter had to do a double take.

“No way...”, Toby said, leaning in to the monitor.

“Uh isn’t he supposed to  _not_ be here?”, Sylvester asked.

Walter couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“No... It’s not possible...”, he breathed before rage flared inside of him.

“What’s the matter?”, Paige asked.

“That man is not Mr. Ray, that man’s name is Mark Collins. He is dangerous and he’s a murderer.”, Walter spat. 

Paige looked blankly at the screen and sighed.

“And he’s working with Drew so that is bad news for us.”, Toby said.

Walter was pacing when Toby spoke to him

“Walter, beating yourself up and trying to figure out how this happened isn’t going to help us. It  _has_ happened and there isn’t much we can do about it except try to figure out their next move.”

“Do we have audio?”, Paige asked.

“No, just visual.”, Toby replied as he scribbled down words on a napkin, “But I’m reading their lips right now...”

“Is this in real time?”, Megan asked, “Because if it is then we can just call the cops on them and say that they are armed and dangerous...”

Walter shook his head.

“Collins is a master of manipulation. He’ll be two steps ahead of us...”, Sylvester said, “Besides, they’re both vampires... they’re too fast for them to catch on foot and the LAPD has a pretty slow response time for this time of day and in that area...”

Walter stopped pacing.

“Hang on, he’s a master of manipulation...”, Walter said.

“Well, yeah, that’s what he is....”, Sylvester repeated, slightly confused.

“No, no... He could be going through Drew to get to me, you know, manipulating him...”, Walter replied.

“But why Drew?”, Paige asked.

“Because Drew wants to get to you and Ralph and because Collins wants to get to me.”, Walter replied.

“But why didn’t Collins just do the dirty work himself?”, Paige asked, “Why is Drew suddenly a middleman?” 

“Because we have the legal means to kill Collins if he returns to threaten our coven in our territory. We have no such thing with Drew. Besides, Drew is the key player here yet at the same time he is disposable.”, Toby replied.

“It’s simple, Drew surrenders control to Collins who would use him to get to me. Once I’m out of the way, the coven will be leaderless and since coven leadership is handed down to the next of kin, whether biological, adoptive, or married, we would be forced to disband and our powers of protection would be gone, leaving you and Ralph open for Drew as easy prey.”, Walter explained.

“With Walter out of the way, Drew gets you and Ralph. With the rest of us out of the way, Collins will get Walter. It’s a win-win situation for them...”, Sylvester explained.   

“I think we’re on to something here...”, Toby said, “They’re meeting at a place called Escape... I just googled it... aaannnddd it’s a club... sounds like a dive too...only three and a half stars...”

“Logically, it’s the perfect meeting place. It’s dark, loud, and nobody will be paying attention to them. It’s also, as you said, a dive... there are probably a lot of single people there with lowered inhibitions and dulled responses. It’s easy prey for Collins and Drew, especially if they are only drinking small amounts of blood and not putting any venom into their prey...”, Walter mused aloud.

“They can address work, pleasure, and their feeding necessities, all at once... it’s pretty efficient if you ask me.”, Megan stated.

“So what now?”, Cabe asked, “We gonna go in there, guns blazing?”

“No, no... we can’t do that...”, Walter said, pacing and thinking about what to do next.

“Why don’t we just use the surveillance cameras to spy on them while they’re at Escape?”, Sylvester asked.

“That’s a great idea...”, Walter said. 

“I’ll get on it...”, Sylvester replied.

Walter’s watch beeped, causing Paige to look at her watch. 

“Guys, it’s really late and Ralph has school tomorrow.”, She said, “I don’t really feel safe going back there with only Ralph and myself, but we really have to go...”

“No you don’t...”, Walter found himself saying.

“I’m sorry?”, Paige asked, looking at the genius, “I didn’t catch that, it was kinda fast...”

“You don’t have to stay there alone. In fact, you don’t have to go back at all...I have a sofa bed upstairs that I can sleep on. You can take my bed, Ralph can have the spare bedroom.”, Walter said, nervous for openly inviting Paige into his home, “Collins knows we’re all here at the garage, so he wouldn’t try to rush in and attack us unless he really wanted to be dismembered...”

“I’ll go and get your stuff, and I’ll drop Megan off at the hospital on the way.”, Cabe offered, “You can give me a key and talk me through it.”

Paige sighed and closed her eyes. Relief permeated the air and Walter was instantly calmed, only to tense a moment later when the young mother gave him a hug. 

She was warm and her heart was beating fast, a stark contrast to his own cool body and slow, steady heartbeat.

Time slowed for them.

He eventually raised his own arms to hold her and Walter found that, to his surprise (or was it  _pleasure_?) that Paige was able to place her chin on his shoulder.  

They fit together perfectly, a fact that made Walter’s stomach twist in a confusing way and made his heart beat faster. 

Her scent was overwhelming him and it was quickly becoming too much to handle.

It was a bittersweet sensation to have Paige pull away because on one hand, Walter wanted to keep holding her yet on the other hand, he didn’t think he could hold onto his self-control for much longer.

It was all so confusing.

Toby shot Walter this look that said,  _“She likes you, Walt, now just tell her!”_ , and Walter just ignored him.

“Thank you guys so much...I’d like to stay very much.”, she said before glancing over to where Ralph shifted in his sleep, “Ralph loves it here... I think he’ll like it too...”

“Well, I--We’ll be happy to have you...”, Walter said. 

“Thanks...”

“Well, let’s get going...”, Cabe said and Walter didn’t miss the way that Sylvester rushed over to help Megan to her feet, that soft look returning to his eyes and the way Megan’s smile made her glow. 

A nagging voice in the back of Walter’s head told him that something was going on between those two, but he ignored it and said goodbye to his sister. 

While Cabe was gone, Happy woke up for a little while and then fell back asleep with Toby watching over her and Sylvester kept monitoring the cameras as Walter cleared out the spare bedroom for Ralph.

While he was upstairs, he heard a crash and then Paige yelped.

The sweet, metallic scent of Paige’s blood cut through the air like the crack of a whip and Walter staggered back.

He wanted to comfort her but he didn’t want to put her in harm’s way by being there. 

He walked to his personal kitchen and grabbed a unit of deer blood out of the fridge before draining it to take off the edge.

Walter looked down out of the loft and saw Toby bandaging her wounds from the glass shards of a broken wine glass, and he sighed, now reminded of how fragile Paige was in her current state.

That night, when Walter went to sleep on the sofa, he dreamed of Paige. 

She wasn’t human.

She was a vampire and she was beautiful.

She was singing and as she began working up to her highest note, the lights began flickering and the room began shaking. Then, on the loudest and highest note, glass broke, lights blew out, and Paige fell to the ground.

Walter woke with a start in a cold sweat, wondering if it had been a dream or a taste of what was coming. 


	5. Bloody Monday

“Are you taking Ralph to school?”, Walter asked as he walked by Paige’s desk on a Monday morning and saw her grabbing her keys.

“Yeah... I’m also going to see if I can make it possible for you to be put on Ralph’s file as an emergency contact, that way you can also pick him up from school if I’m sick or something...”, she replied, “Are you okay with me making those changes?”, she asked.

Walter nodded.

“I’m all for it... it would maximize efficiency...”, he replied, earning a warm smile from the young mother that sent his heart racing.

He glanced over to Ralph, who was sitting on the red sofa, currently engrossed in a game on his Nintendo DS.

“Come on Ralph, let’s get going...”, Paige said and he hopped up and raced to his mother’s side.

Paige walked over to where her car was parked, opened the garage doors, and started the engine.

“Try to have a good day, okay buddy?”, Walter said, crouching down to Ralph’s level.

Ralph nodded.

“I’ll just think about those physics problems that Happy gave me to solve...”, Ralph replied, “Can you write some equations on the board for me to solve when I get home?”

“Sure thing.”, Walter replied with a smile, not missing the way that Ralph called the garage ‘home’. 

“Scoop?”, Ralph asked. 

“Scoop.”, Walter said and stood up, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“Ralph, let’s go...”, Paige called.

“Bye Walter.”, Ralph said to the genius before racing over to the car.

“Bye buddy.”, Walter said, waving to the boy.

He didn’t let his true feelings show until after they were gone.

Once the doors closed, Walter deflated and yawned before trying to shake off the cramps and aches that were plaguing him.

Truth be told, Walter was exhausted. 

It had been three weeks of watching cameras, searching through emails, and digging through endless paperwork for both the  _Vecchio Ordine_ to approve restraining orders for Drew and Mark and for Homeland Security so that they could get a security upgrade for Paige’s apartment.

He groaned a little as he turned towards his desk and found it piled high with paperwork.

Technically, filling out paperwork was Paige’s job but Walter was the head of the coven and of Scorpion, so this was all work that he had to do.

To top it all off, Mark and Drew hadn’t made a single appearance on their radar since Paige and Ralph had taken up residency in the garage.

Having Paige and Ralph living with him had been nice and he loved having them here, but sleeping on the sofa bed every night was rather uncomfortable and had been taking its toll on his body. His neck was killing him, there was a cramp in his lower back that he just could not ignore, and to top it all off, he had hit a wall in his search for a cure for MS and Megan’s condition had taken a sharp turn for the worse with a relapse.

Megan was now on bed rest and he was visiting her every day. It hurt to see Megan in such a state, especially now that she was starting to really come to grips with the fact that she was nearing the end.

Walter admired Megan’s tenacity and positivity, but he was starting to see her armor cracking, starting to see glimpses of fear in her eyes that he had never seen before, and it broke his heart.  

If only he could get some proper sleep, then he would be able to function better and work on a cure.

He knew that it was only polite to offer his bed to Paige, but he wouldn’t mind sleeping in it with her in a purely platonic way, just for the benefit of a good night’s sleep.

He shook his head.

He knew that if he and Paige were sharing a bed, even in a platonic way, that he still wouldn’t get a moment of sleep because, if his dreams were anything to go by, his feelings about Paige were the exact opposite of platonic.

“Morning boss.”, Happy said as she entered the garage and put her messenger bag in the top drawer of her file cabinet.

“Hey Happy...”, he replied.

“Sleep well?”, she asked.

“Not a bit...”

“Yeah, no offense but you look like hell and the sofa bed up there sucks.”, Happy stated as she pulled her hair back.

“None taken. You were right on both counts...”

“Have you tried the air mattress?”

“I don’t like sleeping on that unless I’m camping out during a hunting trip.”

“I could bring the futon over from my apartment... it’s just taking up space in my spare bedroom...”, Happy offered.

“I’ll think about it...”, Walter replied as he sat down at his desk.

They didn’t talk at all for the next twenty minutes but they both looked up from their work as the garage doors opened and Paige pulled in.

Walter sensed her exasperation about something as she put her purse on the back of her desk chair.

“How did it go?”, Walter asked Paige as she walked over to the coffee maker.

“Adding you to the emergency contacts list? Not good. You have to go there with me and they have to ask you some questions before you sign the paperwork...”, she replied.

“I guess we can knock that out this afternoon, I’ll just go with you when you pick Ralph up.”, Walter stated.    

“Damn, the coffee maker is broken...again...”, Paige said from the kitchen.

 _“Just another day in paradise...”_ , Walter thought as he shot a withering glance in the direction of his empty coffee mug.

He was about to offer to go upstairs and bring his personal coffee maker down but Happy spoke first.

“I’ll be right over...”, Happy said as she pushed her chair back from her workbench and grabbed her toolbox, “Paige, I know Homeland is going to modify your security system at your place, but I could do you one better and just install a new one that I designed.”, Happy said as she tinkered with the coffee maker.

“Yeah, but you’d also have to practically overhaul the entire apartment just so that there would be enough power for your security upgrades...”, Walter added.

“True, but it would work seamlessly when it’s done.”, Happy countered.

“I’m renting the place, so I can’t do a whole lot in terms of major interior changes...”, Paige said, “I’m sorry...”

“I get it...”, Happy muttered, “It’s not making me feel any better about yours and Ralph’s safety situation, but I get it...”

Paige shrugged.

“Okay, I brought doughnuts...”, Toby announced as he entered the garage and looked around, “Where’s Sylvester?”, he asked.

Walter shrugged.

He had been seeing less of his best friend recently but he never really thought that it was any of his business to ask Sly where he went.

“I don’t know.”, Walter replied.

“Well maybe you should ask him. I mean we all know that Sylvester doesn’t drive so he’s taking the bus everywhere... We haven’t seen Mark or Drew in days, how do we know that Sly isn’t being controlled?”, Happy said as she dug around in her toolbox for something.

Paige nodded.

“She’s got a point... You really should ask Sylvester--”, Paige began, but the words had barely left her mouth when Sylvester entered the garage, looking just as normal as ever.

“Ask me what?”, Sylvester asked, looking around at the rest of the Cyclone. 

Walter sighed, now feeling the full weight of his exhaustion pressing down on him.  

He hated the idea that his best friend could potentially be under the control of Mark Collins, but Walter wouldn’t put it past him to try.

“Come with me...”, Walter said to the statistical theoretician as he motioned towards the loft, “We need to have a talk...”

Sly nodded and followed Walter up to the living room.

“I just want to know what’s been going on recently...”, Walter said, “You’re not around as much as you used to be and I want to know why. I get that you’re an adult and it’s not my business to know everything that you do, but it’s not like you to leave for lunch, arrive late, or take days off of work.”

Sylvester looked nervous.

“If you’re trying to hunt again, just know that we all support you and you can come to us about anything, but I do have some bags in the fridge here if you need them or if you wanted to try them...”, Walter added in a lower voice. 

Sylvester shook his head and laughed nervously.

“Oh no. I’m not trying to hunt again and I appreciate the offer but I just refilled my refrigerator at home with human blood... The truth is....Well, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but I’ve never found the right moment...”, Sylvester said as he began wringing his hands.

“There’s no such thing as the right moment... If you want to tell me something, you can just come out and tell me...”, Walter replied, trying to sound reassuring.

Sylvester went to speak and then the door to the garage banged open.

“Hey, listen up, we got a hit on Drew!”, Cabe yelled.

“We’ll continue this later?”, Walter asked and Sylvester nodded.

“Yeah, I suppose so...”

“What is it?”, Walter called out as he descended the stairs.

“Homeland ID’d him at a shop near Santa Monica, I have an agent on the scene and they’re following him at a safe distance onto the pier.” 

“Well, what do we do now?”, Happy asked, “We can’t just arrest him for no reason...”

“Well, let’s go. We need to ask him some questions and it’s better to do it in public, in broad daylight, and on neutral ground than anywhere else.”, Walter said, the thought of leveling the playing field overpowering his restlessness.

The team sprang into action.

“Wait, I’m coming with you.”, Paige said.

“Um, Paige, I don’t think that would be wise, considering the fact that there’s a 65% chance that Collins will be nearby.”, Sylvester stated.

“Yeah, no offense, but normals are kind of easy targets for people like Drew and Collins... you aren’t exactly built to hold your own in a fight against one fully mature vampire, let alone two...”, Happy added.

“I won’t be alone... You’ll all be there...”, she said.

Walter could sense her determination and how dead-set she was on coming with them. They wouldn’t be leaving without Paige, so there was no point in arguing.

“You can come, just be careful...”, Walter said, “I want you with one of us at all times...okay?”

Paige looked him in his eyes and he understood her reasons for wanting to go in a split second.

She had to hear for herself why Drew was doing these things because Drew’s motives didn’t make sense to her. She wanted to question him.  

“I won’t leave your side.”, she replied and Walter knew he was in too deep because those words alone just sent a rush of heat through his cool body.

On the way to the Santa Monica pier, Paige was applying sunscreen and she offered the bottle to the rest of the team.

“Do you guys need any sunscreen or are you okay to be out in the sun like this?”, she asked.

“We’re fine... you might want to pass it to Cabe though...”, Happy replied from her spot in the driver’s seat.

Cabe took the bottle and applied some to his face, ears, and neck.

“For future reference, make sure that Ralph always puts on sunscreen until he’s fully mature... He may be a fledgling but he isn’t totally immune to everything yet, including melanoma. Also, too much exposure before he’s mature can lead to sun sensitivity and premature aging in the long run...”, Cabe said as he handed the bottle back to Paige.

“Ralph doesn’t leave the house, or garage, without it...”, Paige said, “I would’ve thought that you would notice that with your heightened senses of smell...”

“Well, it’s like when you go to someone else’s home and the place smells a little funny and strange to you, the people living there don’t know it because it’s just background scent that they are used to smelling so it doesn’t really register with them. Same rules apply to Ralph and his sunscreen, we’ve just gotten used to it and now it’s a background scent.”, Toby replied, “It’s a mind trick that your brain plays on you.”

“Interesting.”, Paige said.

“We’re here.”, Happy said as she parked.

The team got out and began to walk with Walter bringing up the rear.

They were silent as they caught sight of Drew sitting at a large empty table under a canopy with the Homeland agent lingering nearby.

“Well, well... looks like you brought the whole team...”, Drew said to them as they approached, his sarcastic smirk firmly in place.

Walter felt the burning temptation to break his jaw and, as if he could sense it, Drew waved a white paper napkin in the air in surrender.

“Look, I’m here to talk...”, he said before motioning to the empty chairs, “So have a seat and we’ll begin...”

The team sat down and Drew leaned forward, pulling his sunglasses down and peering over them.

He pointed at Happy and smirked.

“I remember you...”, he chided, “What’s the matter sweetie? Didn’t have enough juice in ya to kill me?”

Walter heard Happy’s knuckles cracking.

“I could’ve done it you know, I can do it right now...”, she hissed and went to stand.

“If she attacks me, I’m not saying anything to any of you...”, Drew stated with a note of finality in his voice.

Toby got up abruptly and said, “C’mon Hap, let’s take a walk...”

Happy followed, glancing back at the group as she went.

“Now, let’s get right to it.”, Paige said, “I want to know what you plan to accomplish by threatening us...”

Drew looked surprised.

“Why Paige, I knew I smelled you here, I honestly thought you would have become one of us by now... after all, you  _do_ want what’s best for Ralph, don’t you?”

Paige sighed.

“Drew, you know that I care about Ralph more than anything... I just think that it’s better this way...”

“Well I don’t.”, he replied.

“I don’t care what you think... you aren’t the one raising him, I am.”, Paige replied and before Drew could open his mouth again, Walter cut him off with a question.

“Why are you here?”, Walter asked.

“Well, I was planning on just going back to my place after getting some soap from the store, but then I noticed that I was being followed, so I came here. I don’t like being followed and I don’t want people knowing where I live...”, he replied with a shrug.

“How were you turned?”, Cabe asked.

“Well it all started when I met this girl Elisabetta at a club in New York. We became friends and she wanted me to come to meet her family in Italy. So we flew to Italy and I met her family and the friends of her family. It’s like a huge community of people who work together and it’s wonderful. Her parents are very important members of the community and they were busy so I didn’t meet them until later... Anyway, I was there for about a week when I had an accident. I stepped off a curb and was hit by a car outside of Elisabetta’s family’s home. I don’t remember much after that except a lot of pain and then a burning thirst when I came to. Elisabetta explained to me that I had been changed to save my life... They bought me a suit and then I went to meet her parents.”

“Who are her parents?”, Cabe asked.

“Alfonso and Regina Moretti.”, Drew replied.

Sylvester had been silent up to this point but he gasped when the Moretti’s names were mentioned.

“You met the head rulers of the  _Vecchio Ordine_? What were they like?”, he asked.

“They were fine... very polite... they told me that I ever had children that they would be highly gifted... you see, Regina has this ability to see glimpses of the future... That’s why she makes such a good ruler...”, Drew paused, “I told her that I already had a son and she asked me all these questions...”

“You told a complete stranger about Ralph?”, Paige asked.

“Well yeah, but this was before I knew he was a genius... I couldn’t tell her much else except that I hadn’t seen him in seven years...”

“What else did she say?”, Walter asked.

“Nothing really... She just said that my children would be in danger...”

“So you returned alone and came to find us?”, Paige asked.

“Precisely.”, Drew replied.

At that moment, something changed in Drew’s eyes and his scent changed too. Walter looked at Cabe and at Sylvester and both of them seemed to notice these changes as well. 

“Well now we have a problem here... you’re involved with a highly dangerous vampire named Mark Collins...”, Cabe said, trying to coax the truth out of him.

“Never heard of him.”, Drew stated.

“How about ‘Ray’? Does that name ring any bells?”, Paige asked.

“Yeah...There’s this vampire named Ray who was helping me find you guys... He told me that the Scorpion Coven was dangerous and that they had you and Ralph...”, Drew said.

“We aren’t dangerous.”, Sylvester stated.

Drew laughed sarcastically.

“That other chick almost killed me... O’Brien almost broke my neck...All of you almost tore Ray limb from limb...”, Drew replied, “Face it, you guys are dangerous...”

“You’re not being told to say this, are you?”, Cabe asked.

“What? No. I’m here on my own...Clean your ears out gramps”, Drew scowled at the older vampire.

Cabe pulled off his sunglasses as his eyes turned deep crimson and his fangs emerged.

“Watch it hotshot... I’m more seasoned at this than you are...”, Cabe hissed in a low warning. 

Drew bared his fangs and hissed.

“Ray is not Ray... his name is Mark Collins... He’s a dangerous vampire. He’s a genius but a madman and a murderer... He poses a greater threat to Paige and Ralph than any of us ever would...”, Walter replied, trying to draw Drew’s attention away from Cabe.

“Where’s your proof?”, Drew asked.

“Sly, can you retrieve those files from our early days?”, Walter asked and soon Sly was showing Drew the footage from the garage’s CCTV from the day when Collins was being forced out.

Walter sensed Paige’s change in mood as she saw what really happened that day.

“Walter... you told me that Collins tried to kill you... You didn’t say that he tried to make you kill everyone else...”, Paige gasped.

Drew was wearing a similar expression, albeit less horrified and more intrigued, as though he were acting, and that made Walter grow wary of just how in control and conscious Drew Baker was of his actions and words.

“Look man, I just wanted to make sure that Paige and Ralph were safe...”, Drew said.

Cabe distracted Drew for a second with an apology and Walter tapped out a message on his phone for Paige before nudging her elbow.

_Ask him something only you and he would know._

Paige looked at Walter with a raised eyebrow and typed back.

_Why?_

Walter typed quickly.

_Drew isn’t acting or smelling like himself. Collins can’t fully access memories, he can only get vague shapes of ideas. He told me that himself. He didn’t access my memories when he was in my mind, I doubt he can do it now. We have to catch him in a lie._

Paige nodded.

“Hey Drew? Do you remember what Ralph’s name would have been if he were a girl?”, Paige asked softly.

“What? No... I think it was uh, Ashley?”, Drew replied.

Paige inhaled sharply and gripped Walter’s hand beneath the table.

Walter felt her pulse quicken, her blood thrumming quickly through the vessels her hand.

Toby and Happy returned and sat quietly, as if they knew something was wrong.

“Do you remember the birth?”

“Yeah... we were in the hospital and they were inducing you...I never left your side...”

“You’re not Drew...”, Paige replied, “If Ralph had been a girl, his name would have been Jennifer... Ashley was the name of the girl you were sleeping with, the blonde from Tahoe... I wasn’t induced, I went into labor at home a few days early. You weren’t in the room with me because you couldn’t stand the sight of blood and you kept freaking out. I made the midwife send you out until after Ralph was born.” 

Drew shook his head and stood up.

“Well, The first part of this conversation was genuine....Then you figured me out.”, Drew said with a psychotic grin.

“Collins.”, Happy seethed, “I should hunt you down and hack you into a million pieces for all the hell you put us through...” 

“Hey Hap... you’re looking just as hot as always... I see your temper hasn’t gone anywhere...I love a woman with an attitude...”, Drew/Collins sneered.

Toby was the one radiating rage now.

“Look Collins, I may not have powers like she does but I’ll still kick your ass.”

“ _Doctor_ Tobias M Curtis....”, Collins laughed mockingly, “I’m surprised you’re still around...you may have graduated from Harvard but you were never one of us... no math, just reading people’s behaviors. You’re a piss poor excuse for a doctor anyway....” 

“Leave us alone. Go find someone else to bother.”, Sly said, cutting Drew/Collins off, “Surely you have better things to do than mess with us?”, he asked.

“Oh I’ll be gone shortly Sylvester, I’m just paying a visit to a mutual friend of ours...”, Drew/Collins said darkly.

“Collins, we don’t move in the same circles and you know it.”, Walter replied.

“Oh I know, but I’ve just been dying to meet her for so long...”, Drew/Collins replied, “Unfortunately, she’s just been  _dying_. Such a shame...”

“Megan...”, Walter breathed as his heart almost stopped before igniting with anger, “How did you even find out?”

Threatening his sister was a low blow, even for Collins...

“I had help from a colleague...I’ll be sure to send a floral arrangement for the wake--”

“How did you find out about her?!”, Walter shouted.

“I’ll never tell...”, Drew/Collins hissed.

Drew fell limp. 

“We have to go to the hospital...”, Sylvester said urgently, “If what Collins is saying is true, then we can’t wait another moment...”

Walter nodded as Drew came to. 

“What happened to me?”, he asked, “One minute I was in control then I wasn’t...”

“You were in a lapse of mind control induced paralysis called the Rabbit Hole...”, Cabe explained, “Agent Phipps will take you to a safe place...You’re not under arrest...”

“Does he know about our  _condition_?”, Drew asked as Agent Phipps drew nearer.

“I should hope so... He’s been one of us all his life...He just stood downwind the whole time...”, Cabe said.

“You’ll be safe with me, Mr. Baker...”, Phipps said and Drew nodded.

“Come on let’s go...”, Happy said and the whole coven took off, running back to the parking lot before clamoring into the van and peeling off towards the hospital.

They arrived just as Walter’s phone started ringing.

“Hello?”, He answered as they entered the building.

“This is Dr. Chase, Miss O’Brien’s doctor. There’s been a situation concerning your sister. How soon can you be here?”

“I’m already at the hospital...”, Walter stated, his blood running cold as he waited for the elevator. 

“Then come to the ICU, I’ll meet you there and explain the full situation.”

“I’ll be right there.”, he said before boarding the elevator and punching the floor number. 

Walter couldn’t get there fast enough, it was like the world was moving in slow motion and he just wanted to know how his sister was.

“What happened?”, Walter asked as he ran towards the ICU and Dr. Chase was there 

“It would appear as though she stabbed herself repeatedly... we took her in for emergency surgery...”

“How is she?”, Walter asked.

“Not good...I have some of the finest surgeons working on her right now but she did quite a number on herself...She’ll need a transfusion...her blood type is A positive... would you be willing to donate?”, she asked Walter.

“I can’t, I’m anemic...my doctor says I can’t donate...”, Walter lied smoothly, though he wished he could donate to his sister. Unfortunately, his blood would cause her to turn and she didn’t want to turn.

“I’m A positive and in good health... how much would Megan need?”, Paige piped up.

“A pint, Miss...?”, Dr. Chase replied.

“Dineen... Paige Dineen...Can you take a pint now?”, Paige replied.

Dr. Chase nodded.

“We’ll have to see if you have enough iron in your blood first...”

“That’s fine, I just want to help her out...”, Paige said.

“I really appreciate this Paige...”, Walter said as Paige went off to one of the nurses who was standing in a side room.

Paige smiled at them before the nurse closed the door so he could work in peace.

Dr. Chase glanced at the rest of the group, “Hello Mr. Dodd, It’s good to see you again, although I wish it were under better circumstances. Who are the rest of these people?”

“Family friends.”, Walter replied, casting a glance at Sylvester, who had suddenly taken an interest in the specks on the off-white floor. Walter would address him later, “Is there anything else I should know.”

Dr. Chase nodded.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I would prefer to respect Miss O’Brien’s rights and only speak to her brother on this topic...”, she said, addressing the coven. 

Sensing the awkwardness of the whole situation, Toby addressed the group.

“Hey, I saw a waiting room back there, how about we sit down for a while... It’s only right that we respect Megan’s medical privacy...”

Dr. Chase nodded politely in thanks and Walter watched them go before Dr. Chase spoke again.

“What is it?”, he asked, sensing that something was bothering the older woman because she pulled him off to the side.

“I was with your sister mere minutes before she attempted to kill herself, something happened...something odd and I can’t explain it but it was like she was suddenly not herself... has this ever happened to her before?”, Dr. Chase asked in a low voice.

 “No... why, what happened?”, Walter replied.

“Megan was eating lunch and she and I were talking about this book she was reading, a book that I had let her borrow because it was one of my favorites, anyway, she was talking and then it’s like her eyes changed... her mannerisms changed as well as her voice... she lost her train of thought and then said that she wanted to be left alone to eat... It was so sudden...”, Dr. Chase replied, “So I left and I wasn’t gone five minutes before I heard her screaming, so I ran back into the room and she had stabbed herself repeatedly and slit both wrists with the knife from her lunch tray... It was like she had come out of a trance and had just realized what she was doing. Naturally, I called for help and we got her into surgery, but she had done some serious damage to herself...”

“Oh my God...”, Walter breathed as he heard Dr. Chase’s harrowing account.

“Do you have any idea what could have compelled her to do such a thing? I know Megan and she is stubborn and determined but she is not suicidal...”, Dr. Chase stated, clearly troubled by what had happened.

Walter knew  _exactly_ what (rather  _who_ ) had compelled Megan to do such a thing. He had to bite back the anger and the bile rising in him and lied.

“No, I have no idea what could have happened...”, he replied, “How long will she be in surgery?”

“I don’t know, maybe a couple hours or more... She’ll be transferred up here to the ICU so we can monitor her for any complications that may arise from her MS...I’ll tell you everything when I find out...”

“Thank you...”, Walter said and the older woman patted him on the shoulder. 

When he got down to the end of the hallway to the waiting area, the coven got to their feet but Sly was missing. Paige stopped sipping her orange juice and looked up but remained seated.

“How is she, son?”, Cabe asked.

“Not good...”, Walter said, “Where’s Sly?”.

“He went to use the restroom...”, Paige replied.

“What’s up with Megan?”, Toby asked.

“Well, she’s”

“Okay I’m back... How is she Walter?”, Sylvester said as he returned, unknowingly cutting Walter off.

“She’s in surgery... they’re doing everything they can to save her...”.

“What happened? Megan never displayed any warning signs that I could pick up that could have been linked to suicidal tendencies...”, Toby asked.

Walter told the coven exactly what Dr. Chase had told him and they all reacted as Walter expected them to.

Cabe muttered a phrase that sounded like,  _“That rat bastard...”._ Happy clenched her jaw and sat down on the sofa, her foot tapping furiously on the floor. Toby inhaled and shook his head. Sylvester sat down, removed his glasses, and buried his face in his hands. Paige gasped and began sipping her juice again as her eyes got misty.

Walter was surprisingly calm even though he wanted to rip Collins’s throat out, and, even more surprisingly, Happy was the first one to speak, her voice hard yet eerily calm and cool. 

"We need to contact the  _Vecchio Ordine_ , this has to be some sort of violation..."

"I'll see if I can find anything online concerning the laws... I don't think I will, but it's worth a shot.", Toby said and pulled out his phone. 

"I'll go back to the garage later and see if I can find anything in the paperwork there on this...", Happy stated, "Until then, I'm with the Doc... I'll see what I can dig up."

The entire coven got online and began searching for anything concerning coven laws. 

Sylvester stood up about two hours later.

“Walter, I need to talk to you.”, he said, “In private...”

Walter nodded and followed him out of the room.

When they got into the hall, Walter’s formerly controlled anger seemed to direct itself at Sylvester. 

“I have a question for you.”, Walter bit out, his voice full of acid, startling the already shaken vampire.

“Walter will you just let me explain first? Please, I know you have every right to be mad...”, Sylvester begged.

“How did Collins know she was here?”

“Walter. Let me explain.”, Sylvester pleaded in a hushed voice.

“My sister is  _dying..._ she is dying and I need answers...”, Walter hissed, feeling his fangs emerge.

“Then let me give them to you...”, Sylvester sighed, not making any attempt to defend himself against his coven leader.

Walter nodded. He had to get himself under control. Collins would target them easily if they were reckless, and if he was reckless, he would be endangering Paige and Ralph. Collins already targeted Megan, he couldn’t let him get to the rest of his coven.

Walter took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry. This is a lot for me to take in...”, Walter apologized.

“It’s okay for you to feel this way, especially given the circumstances... anyway... I wanted to tell you that I’m... I’m dating your sister...”, Sly stated boldly, “That’s how Dr. Chase knew me... All that time when I was late to or all those days I took off from work, I was over here with Megan...”

“Okay.”, Walter stated, unsure of what else to say.

“I want revenge just as much as you do... She wasn’t supposed to go like this...”, Sylvester said, his voice wavering, “But right now I can almost feel her... she needs me here...”

Walter nodded.

“I’ll tell Paige to go with Cabe and get Ralph from school... he might be targeted next.”

“Well, none of us are really safe from Collins’s control now...”, Sylvester stated.

“True, but I’d rather have Ralph here than at school. He’s safer with all of us, at least we’ll be able to tell if one of us is being controlled, if one of Ralph’s teachers is being controlled, Ralph may not know until it’s too late.”

Sly nodded.

“I agree.”

The two stood in silence before Walter spoke up.

“You know, I never thought that Megan would ever have someone special, but I’m glad that she chose you...”, Walter said quietly, hoping that his attempt at expressing EQ wasn’t a complete bust. 

“Thank you.”, Sylvester replied, giving Walter a hug which Walter awkwardly reciprocated.

They reentered the waiting room a few seconds later and Happy was the first to speak. 

“So...What do we do now?”, she asked, "We got bupkis on the laws here..."

Walter wanted to say “ _we get even”_ , but he was held back by the thought of Megan on her own.

“What happens now is that we wait. Paige and Cabe will go get Ralph and come back here... then we wait... Collins has us in a vulnerable position...if we let our guard down, one of us could be the next to fall. We’ll ensure our safety by asking each other personal security questions... sound good?”, Walter replied.

The team nodded in agreement and turned around when the door opened and Dr. Chase came through.

“Mr. O’Brien?”

“Yes?”

“Megan is awake right now, but she is in pain, so it may be difficult for you to speak to her...”

“Why isn’t she on morphine or some other painkiller?”, Toby asked, “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor...”, he added after seeing the look on Dr. Chase’s face.

Dr. Chase looked at Walter with a questioning glance between the behaviorist and her charts, as if asking for permission to share, and Walter nodded.

“He’s fine...”

Dr. Chase nodded and replied.

“Miss O’Brien is a member of an experimental drug trial for her MS... we haven’t had any successful tests involving both heavy painkillers and the experimental drug... Miss O’Brien understands this and has decided to go without the heavy drugs, but she is using low doses of weaker painkillers that have tested well with her experimental drug...She’s also using a psychological method of pain management and I usually don’t like those things, but it seems to be working for her...”

“She’s one tough kid, I’ll give her that.”, Cabe said.

“That she is.”, Dr. Chase agreed. 

“Can we see her?”, Sylvester asked.

“Sure.”

Walter, Paige, and Sylvester went back and entered the room where Megan was. Both Walter and Sylvester could sense her immense pain because it was like a ringing in their ears. 

Megan seemed to perk up when she saw them.

“Hey Megan...”, Walter said as he approached his sister. He didn’t ask how she was feeling, but if Megan was offended, she didn’t say so.

“Hey.”, she grit out, “Hey Sly...”, she whispered and held out her hand.

She had blood under her nails but Sylvester didn’t care. He reached over and she grasped his hand.

“Hello Paige... Thanks for the pint...”, Megan said and Paige patted her leg.

“You would have done the same for me...”, Paige replied.

“What happened?”, Walter asked, “You weren’t actually trying to kill yourself, were you?”

“Walter, you know me, I’m not suicidal... Mark Collins did this to me... He told me in my head...”, Megan said, “He’s got plans for you, for all of you, including Ralph and Paige... they’re horrible and I know all of them...I saw his plans...”

“Is Ralph safe now?”, Paige asked.

“Yes... but you should keep him close from now on. Don’t let him out of your sight and don’t let him go to school because that’s where Collins plans on finding him.”, Megan replied.

Paige nodded.

"I'll pick him up after noon, that way he won't be missing lunch."

“You said he tried to kill you?”, Walter asked.

“He was controlling me, making me stab myself and cut my wrists...He told me that I would kill myself...”

“He failed...”, Sly whispered, “You’re still here...”

“But how?”, Walter asked, “How did you beat him? How did you see his plans?”

“I don’t know...”, Megan groaned, “I guess I was stronger than he was...Maybe this Rabbit Hole thing works both ways...Maybe he was feeling the pain somehow and broke the connection...” 

Walter's watch beeped. 

“I’m sorry, I have to go get Ralph now, I’ll take Cabe with me, but I’ll be back...”, Paige said and patted Megan’s leg before leaving.

“Can you send Happy and Toby back?”, Megan asked and Paige nodded.  

“What do you want us to do?”, Sylvester asked once Paige was gone. 

“I don’t know...”, she sighed, “I think this near-death experience has forced me to do some major reevaluations of my long-held belief that I would die because of my MS or due to a complication that was worsened by my MS...”  

“What do you mean?”, Walter asked.

“I mean,”, Megan winced sharply, “I’m not ready to go...and I wanna give Collins a piece of my mind...you’ll need to know his plans and I have all of them in my head...We can beat him...”

“Do you want to be changed?”, Walter asked, not believing what he was hearing.

“Yes...”, she said.

“For real?”, Walter asked, “You’re serious?”

Megan rolled her eyes.

“Look, I would get out of bed and beg on my knees right now before eating crow, but I’m being held together with stitches and I can’t stand on my own, let alone kneel and the doctor says that I shouldn’t have solid foods yet...”, Megan replied and Walter laughed a little at her humor.

“I wanna be like you, little bro...”, she said, holding out her other hand to him.

“Okay then...”, Walter said, taking Megan’s hand, “Now this is going to hurt...”

Megan laughed sarcastically.

“Can’t be any worse than how I’m feeling now, but I do have one request...”, she replied.

“What’s that?”

Megan looked at Sylvester with her best puppy dog eyed expression.

“Sylvester, can you do me a favor?”, she murmured before wincing.

“M-me?”, Sylvester stuttered, “Y-you want me to change you?”

Megan nodded.

“I’d appreciate it...”, she replied.

Toby and Happy entered the room and were brought up to speed quickly, both of them were surprised to hear that Megan would be changed.

Sylvester was still nervously making excuses for why he wasn’t the best one for the job when Toby cut him off.

“Sly, listen to me, you drink purified human blood for the most part, that means that you’ll be able to change her the fastest while lowering the risk of complications...The rest of us prefer animal to human because human tastes too sweet these days...”

Sylvester sighed. 

“I’ve never done this before.”, he said, shakily getting to his feet, “I don’t really deal with fresh blood too much...”

“That makes two of us.”, Megan replied.

Happy piped in.

“Sly, you’ll be fine just as long as you know when to quit.”

“Do you know when to quit?”, Megan asked.

“Don’t worry about that...I don’t enjoy live things, so I’ll only hold for as long as I need to and I’ll only take out as much blood as I need to displace in order to make room for the venom going in.”, Sylvester replied.

“I won’t bleed out, will I?”, she asked.

“No. Venom acts as a cure all and it will close the puncture wounds in a split second.”, Toby replied, “All your stitches will have to be removed after the change is complete but there won’t be any scars.”

Walter had remained silent through the exchange but spoke up as a thought occurred to him after Toby mentioned Megan's stitches. 

“Wait. If he changes you now, you’ll have a tough time explaining to your doctor how you miraculously got better...”, Walter said.

“Oh I don’t care about that, just save me...your team has a combined IQ of nearly 700, you can find a way to help me get out of here. I just want to live...”, Megan stated.

“We’ll pull something off...don’t worry.”, Happy said.

Walter sighed.

“Megan, do you remember what you did for me when I was in trouble after school?”

“Yeah, I’d pull the fire alarm...”, she replied, “If you're asking to make sure I’m not being controlled, I’m fine, I am myself...”

“Okay good...”, Walter said with a nod.

Megan winced and pushed her hair back, exposing the skin on her neck.

“How long does this take?”, she asked as Sylvester stood up.

“Three hours.”, Walter replied.

“Three hours...”, Megan sighed, “Well, see you all on the other side...”

“Ready?”, Sylvester asked, “I’ll count back from three...okay?”

Megan nodded.

She closed her eyes and the team watched with bated breath as Sylvester’s eyes turned a soft reddish brown.

Megan took Sylvester’s hand and held it tight.

“Three.”

Walter held Megan's other hand.

“Two.”

Megan took a deep breath and steeled herself.

Sylvester bared his fangs.

“One.”


	6. Awakening & Escape

Sylvester bit down on her carotid artery and Megan gasped, her grip tightening around Walter’s hand.

Sylvester held for a few seconds, replacing Megan’s blood with his venom before releasing her neck and wiping his mouth.

The fang wounds closed instantly and Megan was breathing steadily, almost as if she was sleeping.

There was a moment of silence, filled only with the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor and then all hell broke loose.

Megan started thrashing about, though she remained silent.

A second later, her heart rate monitor began going haywire and Toby reached over, muting it.

“What’s happening?”, Sylvester asked worriedly as Megan shook violently, “Was it something I did wrong? Can we fix it?”

“Sly, she’s having a seizure and a cardiac episode...”, Toby muttered before taking Megan’s head and holding it still, “We can’t do anything except hold her down gently so she doesn’t injure herself further and let it run it’s course...”

“But I thought that venom was a cure all?”, Walter asked, “If she hurts herself, won’t she just heal up again?”

“Yes but the transformation will take longer... we can’t risk it if someone comes in here and sees her like this... we can’t explain to them that this is normal, that we’re actually curing her...”, Toby replied.

“I think it’s amazing that the venom is changing her brain and her heart at the same time...”, Happy muttered in awe, grabbing Megan’s arms.

“Well, in all of our recorded history, vampires have attempted to document the process of going from normal to vampire. The only correlations that they can find are that the brain and heart are always the first to change and then the worst injuries heal, that way the smaller things can use up whatever energy remains. They also know that it’s very painful...”, Toby murmured.

“And she’s not making a single sound...”, Sylvester stated, holding Megan’s hand.

“I don’t think she can...”, Walter stated before he heard footsteps in the hallway.

“I think we have bigger problems to deal with now... like Dr. Chase...”, Sylvester muttered.

“Quick, turn the monitor display away from the door, she’ll see us all in here and figure that we’re just having a moment...”, Toby whispered.

Sly turned the monitor and several things happened at once.

Megan fell limp and the coven got their hands off of her as Dr. Chase entered the room and the monitor slowed to lower than normal.

“How is she?”, Dr. Chase asked, approaching the group, “And why is the monitor muted?”

“Oh, she’s fine, I just have her in a deep meditative state... she can’t talk right now...she’s lost in her own mind...We muted the monitor so she could focus on her happy place...”, Toby lied smoothly.

Dr. Chase looked him over.

“I thought you were a doctor...”, she said, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

“I am. My name is Dr. Tobias M Curtis and I’m a Harvard-trained psychiatrist...”, he replied.

“Okay then... so...you have her in a painless meditative state?”, Dr. Chase asked.

“Correct...I mean I hope that it’s painless... Pain is subjective...”, He replied.

“I thought only psychologists did this meditation stuff...”, she murmured before checking the heart rate monitor, “Well, whatever you’re doing, she’s relaxed. Resting heart rate is 59... Her’s is normally around the high 80′s...”

“Well, I guess she’s in the zone...”, Happy whispered.

Walter was watching his sister intently, waiting to see if there was something going wrong...

He could smell her changing and it was weird because Megan always smelled like her eucalyptus basil hand cream and something akin to the way an old, well-loved book smells. When they came to L.A., his sister had also smelled like the Irish orchids that their mum had picked and brought inside during those times when Megan was sick. That scent had faded but now he was starting to pick it up again in faint traces.

He wondered how he was going to bring Megan into familiarity with all of the responsibilities that came with being a vampire, after all, they had been things that he had just grown into.

He could hear the slight ringing noise that signaled her pain growing louder and stronger and he looked at the rest of the coven for help.

They all heard it too and realized that a loud exclamation of pain from Megan was lingering on the horizon.

Dr. Chase had her back to the coven, reviewing Megan’s charts using the natural light from the window.

Walter looked at Toby who sent him a look that said  _“We have to get Dr. Chase out of here ASAP”._

Happy seemed to sense this so she shook her head and closed her eyes before glaring at the back of Dr. Chase’s head.

Dr. Chase cried out in pain and staggered forward, hitting her head hard on the wall.

Happy lessened the connection immediately, tuning the frequency of pain until it was a steady pounding in Dr. Chase’s head.

Dr. Chase turned to the group, her face reddening as she sat down on the floor and then staggered as she tried to get up.

Toby rushed over to her.

“Woah there, maybe you should go sit down for a little while, take a break...you hit your head pretty hard there, we should check for a concussion...”, Toby said and supported her before walking her to the door, “You’ve had a stressful day and you need a break...As a fellow doctor, I suggest eating a snack and sitting down for a little while, maybe resting your eyes after we make sure you aren’t concussed...”

Dr. Chase nodded.

“I’ll be back when I’m feeling better...”, Dr. Chase murmured, “I do apologize for that... sometimes I get headaches, but I’ve never had one like that...”

“Oh it’s not your fault, sometimes these things happen.”, Happy said, making her eye contact seem a little less creepy by smiling kindly.

Toby escorted the doctor out of the room and gave Happy a thumbs up as he closed the door.

“Quick she’s going to scream soon, we need to keep her quiet...”, Walter said as he looked down at Megan who was appearing to get redder, like she was holding in the outburst.

“But how do we do that without putting a pillow over her face... It’s not like we can take away her pain...”, Sylvester said worriedly. 

“We can always find a way to displace the sound with a similar frequency of white noise, unfortunately, the human vocal cords are unable to maintain a steady frequency.”, Happy said.

“You could always try to transfer her pain...”, Walter suggested. 

Happy gave Walter this look.

“I can’t do that, not while I’m keeping Dr. Chase down with a headache...I haven’t even tried to transfer pain...”, She replied, “I just learned how to project while not maintaining eye contact...I can only do so much at once...”

“What should we do?”, Sylvester asked, the genius becoming increasingly panicked. 

Toby came back and closed the door.

“She’s going to scream soon... just put a pillow over her face... she’s on oxygen, she won’t die of asphyxiation...”, Happy said.

“Dr. Chase is down for the count... she’s currently being checked for a concussion...”, Toby stated before looking at Happy, “When did you learn to project without contact?”

“A few days after I woke up from the blackout when I almost killed Drew...”, she replied.

“Ah. I like it.”, Toby said before the humming in their heads increased in volume and the coven sprang into action.

Toby held Megan’s head as Walter pressed her pillow to her face just in time for Megan to scream.

Megan’s heart rate spiked and fell a few times and she continued screaming.

Then the screaming stopped and Walter slowly pulled the pillow back.

His sister was changing before his eyes.

Where her hair had been dull and flat before, it was now becoming shiny and voluminous. Her skin had been pale and dry but the dryness was quickly fading and her skin was darkening to a more healthy tone, giving her the appearance that she had been out in the sun more often than she really had. Her lips had been cracked but were now fuller and a healthier shade of pink. Her various acne scars faded away and were lost in her renewed complexion.  Her eye sockets lost that hollow look that sleepless nights caused and her cheeks became fuller, her features more defined than ever.

Walter watched in awe as Sylvester’s venom sculpted and formed his once frail and broken sister into a stunning model of perfect health. Seeing her change like this made Walter realize just how sick Megan had been.

He flinched a little as there was a tiny pop and Megan’s nose became slightly straighter.

“Ah, she must have had a deviated septum that never gave her any trouble... it’s remarkable how many people live their whole lives and never know they have one...”, Toby stated before Walter could ask.

The ringing increased rapidly and Walter pressed the pillow to Megan’s face as she screamed again.

The periods of silence and screaming seemed to go on forever and soon Walter took a break to call Paige and see where she was.

He stepped into the hall and called the young mother on her cell phone, pacing as her phone was ringing.

“Hello?”, she answered.

“Paige, it’s Walter... Um, I was just curious as to when you, Cabe, and Ralph will be by.”

“We’re just leaving the garage now... Ralph wanted to get a few things...”, she replied.

Walter’s earlier promise to Ralph nudged its way to the foreground of his mind. 

“I hope Ralph wasn’t too upset because I forgot to write up those problems for him...”, Walter stated as he raked a hand through his curls.

“Ralph understands that you had to look out for your sister... he looked a little disappointed when he saw the blank board, but I told him about Megan and he said that the problems could wait until Megan was better.”

Walter smiled to himself.

“He’s a good kid...”, Walter found himself murmuring.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that...”, Paige said.

Walter’s face got hot.

“I uh, I said that Ralph is a good kid... you, um, you did a good job, you know, raising him...”

Walter could almost see her radiant smile and rosy blush at his words and he smiled at the mental image.

“Thanks, you know I had help from you....”

Walter felt the heat rising in his face and he couldn’t help but grin as pride bloomed in his chest at her words.

“Yeah...”, was all he could say.

“Hey, Walter, I have to go now.”, she said after a few beats of silence, “We’ll be there soon.”

“How soon?”, he asked, his voice sounding a bit desperate, even to his own ears. 

“Half an hour at the most.”, Paige replied, “Why, is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong, I’m just...”, Walter trailed off, trying to find the right words or phrase.

“Hello? Walter? You still there?”, Paige asked.

“Yeah, I’m just concerned, what with all that’s happened today...”

“Understood.”

“See you soon.”, Walter replied as Toby stuck his head out of the room and nodded for Walter to get back in there.

“Bye.”, Paige replied and the line went dead.

Walter pocketed his phone and entered the room.

“How long has it been since I bit her?”, Sylvester asked. 

Walter looked at his watch.

“About an hour and fifteen minutes.”, he replied, “Do you need a break?”

Sylvester shook his head and sat down next to Megan, holding her hand as her arms grew more toned.

Megan’s heart began to slow exponentially and then she began humming softly.

“Her vocal cords are healing themselves from all that screaming... she may cough a few times but that’s just her alveoli and bronchial tubes healing. Did she ever have pneumonia as a child?”, Toby asked.

“She’s had it a couple times in her life, it’s a complication that sometimes comes with MS.”, Walter replied.

“Then she’ll probably be coughing quite a bit.”, Toby stated.

“So are they okay?”, Happy asked in reference to the other members of Scorpion, taking a seat as she glanced at Walter.

“Paige, Cabe and Ralph are on their way over.”, Walter said with a nod.

“Do you think Ralph should be watching this?”, Sylvester asked, “It’s not exactly putting us in a good light...”

Walter sighed but Happy replied instead.

“Look Sly, Megan was dying, she asked for this, for all of it, and we’ll do it for her, no matter how bad it makes us look, because we know that she’ll be better later. Ralph is a good kid who will grow up to become one of us, I think it’s only right that he can see someone become a vampire before it’s his turn, even if Megan’s changes happen quickly.”

“But what about Paige? Do you honestly think she’ll let her son watch this?”, Sylvester asked.

“Paige is a good mother. She’ll do what she feels is best for her son and if that means that Ralph doesn’t get to watch my sister change, then so be it.”, Walter stated, perhaps a little too harshly. Walter softened a little when he saw the concerned looks that everyone was giving him, “I mean, it’s up to Paige and she’s quite understanding when it comes to Ralph and what we do for him. I would assume that with all the questions she has about vampires, she wouldn’t mind watching--”

Walter was cut off by a knock at the door.

He opened it a little bit and came face to face with a nurse.

“May I help you?”, Walter asked.

“No but I can help you.”, The nurse replied, “My name is Joey Rodriguez, I’m a vampire with the Angeles coven.”, the man lifted his sleeve to show the Angeles symbol tattooed on his bicep, “Listen man, I know you’re changing a patient in there and I can help you get her out when she’s done...”

“Get in here.”, Walter said and hustled the younger vampire into the room.

“Who’s this?”, Happy asked, pointing at Joey.

Joey introduced himself and when he said he could get Megan out, Happy scoffed.

“You better be able to...”, she said.

“Trust me, I can, you have no idea how common this is.”, he replied.

“He’s telling the truth.”, Toby replied.

“Uh, can I look her over, just to make sure she’s doing okay?”, Joey asked.

Walter nodded but Sylvester still held Megan’s hand in a defensive way.

Joey looked Megan over and pulled the sheet up from the bottom of the bed, only looking up to Megan’s knees.

“Is she handicapped?”, he asked.

“She has...  _had_ Multiple Sclerosis.”, Walter replied, a certain relief washing over him as he began to refer to Megan’s MS in past tense.

Joey spent a few more moments looking Megan over before turning to Walter.

“She looks good, just keep her legs uncovered so she has room to stretch. I’ll be up at the nurse’s station, come and get me when she’s done...I’ll come back with my cart and help her escape.”, Joey said, “If you need anything, I’m just a call button away.”

Joey left the room.

“Really Walter? You’re gonna trust a guy from the Angeles coven?”, Happy asked.

“They have the highest incarceration rate of all vampire covens in the state, especially now that they’ve merged with the Compton street clan...”, Sylvester stated, “They are a really big coven too...”

“He didn’t seem like he was going to be bad news for us. All of his indicators showed that he was being honest and that his intentions were clear and honorable...”, Toby replied, “Besides, don’t we all have arrest records? I was arrested for theft, Walter was arrested for hacking into NASA, Happy was arrested for destruction of property and underage drinking.”

“My calculations were off, I was at a party, I got drunk, and I accidentally set this dude’s lawn on fire when I was trying to fix his lawnmower...”, Happy said, “Get it right.”

“Megan’s been arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. And you, my friend,”, Toby pointed at Sylvester, “Have been arrested for theft.”

Everyone looked around in silence, feeling the sting of brutal honesty.

“Just because someone comes from a less than satisfactory place doesn’t make them a negative product of that environment.”, Toby stated with a tone of finality, “Especially since he could very well say the same things about our coven. He could think we’re that freakishly weird coven of four and a half vampires, five if you count Ralph, and one normal. We could be just as strange and untrustworthy.”

“Only none of us are doing life for killing six women.”, Happy muttered.

It fell silent for a few minutes, everyone lost in their own thoughts. 

Megan began coughing.

“Her lungs are changing...”, Sylvester murmured to himself as he brushed his thumb over the back of Megan’s hand.

Toby leaned forward and placed his hand to Megan’s forehead.

“Walt, she’s cooling down...”

“Hey guys, I need a break.”, Happy muttered and she swayed a little as she got up.

Toby was at her side in a moment, and Happy didn’t seem to mind his doting, leaning into him as he supported her.

“Here, we’ll go get you some food...How long has it been since your last feeding?”, Toby asked as they left, his voice fading out.

It was down to Walter and Sylvester keeping a silent vigil over Megan.

“Walter, can I ask you something?”, Sylvester asked, his eyes never leaving Megan’s face.

“Sure.”

“How does it feel when you’re with Paige? What sort of emotions do you feel?”

Walter was silently thinking about his response.

“I don’t have emotions.”

“Yes you do... we all have them... you don’t have to hide them.”, Sylvester said, “You think that emotions were human things and that they’re beneath you... I don’t think that’s true. I think that you look at Paige and you feel like something has to be released, like there’s a dam that needs to break...”

“Not really...”, Walter replied, “What I feel for Paige is different. I respect her as a friend, as a colleague, and as a mother... I feel the urge to protect her and Ralph as the head of the coven.”

“So there’s really nothing else between the two of you?”, Sylvester asked and it was like his stare was burning right through the barrier of Walter’s lame excuses.

“Fine. Yes. I like Paige, I care for her a lot. I want to help her get through this hard time because she doesn’t deserve this... I read her records, she was evicted from her apartment when Ralph was about four, she worked two jobs and made just enough money to scrape by. She doesn’t need any more pain or hardship in her life. I want to make everything better, give her a better life so that she and Ralph can thrive.”, Walter replied.

There were a few beats of silence followed by another question.

“Do you care for Ralph like he was your own?”, Sylvester asked.

Walter nodded without hesitation, not seeing the need to lie to his friend.   

“You’re the only decent paternal role model he has...”

“I know. I just hope he doesn’t turn out to be like me, unable to function with normal people of normal intelligence levels...”, Walter said.

“I’m sure he’ll turn out fine.”, Sylvester replied, looking back at Megan and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

“Sylvester, what are your intentions with my sister now that she has a second chance?”, Walter asked.

“I don’t know just yet... I suppose we’ll continue with the relationship until we either go our separate ways or until we decide to take the relationship a step further...We’ll have to see where things go...”, Sylvester replied before adding, “I hope she knows how much I care about her.”

“You love her, don’t you?”, Walter asked quietly as he watched Sylvester gaze down at Megan, a soft yet powerful scent slowly seeping through the room, like honey, lemon, chamomile and fresh linen all rolled together.

This was all Sylvester, professing his love for Megan in a way that she would soon be able to detect.

“I do.”, he murmured.

It was strange how Sylvester, the least likely of all of them to take risks, fell in love with Megan even though she was dying of MS and was also Walter’s sister. To love, it seemed, was the biggest risk of all, but Sylvester took it in stride.

“So... I guess this is what love looks like...”, Walter stated.

“You know you have the same look on your face when you look at Paige.”, Sylvester replied, not looking at the genius.

Walter scoffed.

“You love her, don’t you?”, Sylvester asked, his eyes cutting to the side to look at Walter’s reaction and Walter stiffened as his own words were thrown back at him.

It was true.

He felt things for Paige that were more than just simply admiration and respect.

The things he felt for her were indescribable and he was forever looking for a quantifiable measure so that he could determine just how much he felt for her.

When Paige smiled, it was like he was a new man. All the pain, sorrow, and darkness he carried around with him faded away into blissful oblivion. Her touch sent his heart racing. He could listen to her voice all day and still think it was the most beautiful sound in the world. Her mind was a beautiful enigma, full of emotions and faith in the world. He hoped that one day he would understand her mind, but for right now, she was the eighth wonder of the world to Walter.

Her body was beautiful too  _(maybe more than beautiful)_. Watching her move and walk made Walter crave physical intimacy in a way that he never had before. In the past, he had had his sexual appetite that he fulfilled without emotion, just an action to fulfill a basic need. Even on the occasions when he had attempted to be romantic and intimate with former partners, he had always failed due to his poor communication skills and lack of interest. He could no longer see himself being cold like that to any future partner, mainly because he only had eyes for Paige. His mind kept taking him back to Paige and he kept reprimanding himself for thinking about her like  _that_ (especially when “ _that_ ” happened to be Paige, sans clothing). His showers had been rather chilly lately.  

Watching her care for Ralph made him aware that there was hole in his life, one that he didn’t know he possessed, a void that could only be filled by being a father figure to Ralph, something that he considered to be the most important job in the world.

Paige complemented him perfectly in every way. He lacked the proper skills needed to communicate effectively. She had those skills in spades. Where she lacked in her knowledge of math and science, he made up for it.

If the summation of everything he felt for Paige was equal to love, then so be it.

Walter went to open his mouth but was cut off by knocking at the door.

He opened it and came face to face with Paige, the very woman whom he was, for lack of a better term, enamored with.

“Hey Walter. How is she?”, Paige asked and entered the room with Ralph and Cabe.

Cabe was on the phone with someone and he spoke in quiet tones but nodded at the genius.

“She’s actually being changed right now...”,Walter replied before noticing that Paige had changed clothes, “You changed your clothes?”, he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Paige blushed a little and something told him it was because he never said much about what she wore, so it was flattering to her when he did notice.

“Yeah, it’s a little chilly in here so I threw on some leggings with my dress and I brought a sweater.”, Paige replied, “Sorry I took a bit longer than expected.” 

“No it’s fine, you didn’t really miss much...”, Walter replied.

“So Megan will be a vampire? Just like you and I?”, Ralph asked as he looked up at Walter.

Walter got down to Ralph’s level.

“That’s right buddy. My sister won’t have to use her crutches anymore. She can finally live with us if she wants to.”, Walter replied.

“Can I hold her hand?”, Ralph asked, looking around at his mom, Walter, and Sylvester, “I think that if I were her, I’d want as much support as possible...It must be hard to become someone else...I think I’d be afraid...”, Ralph said with a shrug. 

All of the adults were surprised to hear that Ralph was now initiating physical contact and beginning to process it too.

“Of course, sweetie.” “Sure Buddy.” “I think Megan would like that very much.”, came the respective replies.

Ralph put his backpack onto one of the chairs and hopped up into a chair by Megan’s bedside before placing his small hand on hers, carefully avoiding the IV port in the top of her hand.

“So, she finally let you do it?”, Cabe asked after hanging up, “What changed her mind?”

“It was a combination of her near death experience, her renewed will to live, and a knowledge of Mark Collins’s plans that changed her mind.”, Walter replied.

“Who bit her?”, Cabe asked.

“I did.”, Sylvester replied.

“Okay we’re back...”, Toby said as he and Happy entered the room.

“Jeez it’s cramped in here.”, Happy muttered before coming to the bedside and ruffling Ralph’s hair, “Hey Ralph.”

“Hello.”, Ralph said.

“I can’t believe you changed her.”, Cabe stated, “You never drink raw from anyone or anything...”

“Well, she wanted me to do it.”, Sylvester replied.

“More like the doc here gave him a list of reasons why he should.”, Happy scoffed, causing Ralph to smile.

“You did your own bit of persuading too.”, Toby nodded. 

“Hey mom?” Ralph asked, letting go of Megan’s hand.

“What is it?”, Paige responded.

“When Megan wakes up, she’ll be thirsty. Walter and the rest of the team will probably take Megan hunting. Since I won’t be in school, can I go with them and watch?”, Ralph asked.

Paige looked at Walter who shook his head minutely.

Walter admired Ralph’s curiosity and wanted him to learn as much as he could about the changes he would undergo but he also wanted Ralph to be a little older, at least old enough to keep up with them. Walter also wanted to be remembered as a part of Ralph’s memories not as the vampire who ripped out a deer’s throat before his eyes but as the man who had helped him win the science fair in elementary school.

Walter also secretly hoped that Paige would be able to hunt with them as a vampire when Ralph’s fangs emerged. 

“Uh...maybe not this time...we’ll wait until you’re a little older.”, Paige replied.

“Oh okay.”, Ralph replied, looking a bit disappointed. 

“Don’t worry kid, you’ll get your chance. In the meantime, I just got a new shipment of parts at the garage, how about later I show you a thing or two about motorcycle repair? Sound cool?”

“Thanks Happy, but I think mom wants me to get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight...”

“Well, you are a growing kid, you need your rest.”, Cabe said.

“Happy? Can you show me tomorrow if you’re not too busy?”, Ralph asked.

“Sure thing kid.”  

Ralph smiled at Happy’s response before looking up at Walter.

“Where will Megan live?”, he asked, “We don’t have a whole lot of space at the garage...”

“That’s a good question. Maybe I’ll clean the Airstream out for her.”, Walter replied.

“I have a spare room at my place if she wants to move in.”, Happy offered, “It’s not furnished or decorated or anything like that but there is a bed and a closet.”

“I have a spare bedroom too and it’s furnished but I don’t think we’re at the stage in our relationship to be moving in together...not yet...”, Sylvester stated.

“Are you and Megan going to get married and have children someday?”, Ralph asked and Paige blushed.

Even if he was a budding genius, Ralph could still ask awkward yet astute  questions like only children could, reminding everyone that he was still rather young and naive, regardless of his high IQ and that even if his EQ was developing, he was still working on figuring out what sort of questions were socially acceptable to ask.

Sylvester blushed madly and cleared his throat.

“Uh. Not right away... I suppose in the far distant future something might happen like that...I mean I hope our relationship works out...but Megan and I have only been together for a very short period of time...we’ll see what happens...”, Sylvester replied.

As everyone fell into conversation, the noise level began to slowly rise in volume.

Nobody noticed as Megan breathed in deeply and squinted her eyes without opening them. Her newly sensitive hearing was being bothered by so many voices at once.

Nobody noticed that is, until Megan’s voice rang out, surprisingly strong and clear as crystal, cutting through the dissonant voices and startling Ralph and Paige.

“Hey, can you keep it down?”, she asked.

The room went dead silent and everyone leaned over her bed as Megan squeezed Sylvester’s hand.

“Thanks.”, she replied and yawned, showing her perfectly formed white fangs.

“How do you feel?”, Sylvester whispered.

Walter held his breath and then sighed as Megan stretched her legs and pointed her toes, wiggling them a bit.

Megan’s eyes fluttered open and the whole coven watched in awe as her pupils contracted, her scarlet red eyes taking in her surroundings as if she was seeing everything for the very first time, and, in a way, she was.

Her eyes seemed to shimmer with emotion as she looked around at her friends and family, smiling as she took all of them in.

She looked at her feet and moved her toes again, this time gasping before pointing her toes and kicking her feet.

She started to cry a bit.

“Dr. Chase said that I’d never walk again...”, she whispered.

Megan sat up tentatively and looked at Sylvester before wrapping him in a hug.

“I feel like a brand new woman.”, she whispered and kissed Sylvester on his cheek before hugging Walter and kissing him too, “I feel brand new and I am so grateful.”

“So I guess we need to call Joey...”, Happy stated after a few minutes of joyous exchanges.

“Who’s Joey?”, Megan asked, her nose wrinkling up, “And what is that smell?”.

Walter’s senses were on high alert as he caught a whiff of a vampire who was up to no good.

That same vampire smelled a lot like...

“Mark Collins...”, Happy seethed, “I’d know that stench anywhere...”

“Joey is our escape artist.”, Walter replied, turning to Megan, “We need to get you out of here now...”

Megan nodded.

“I just need some clothes and shoes from my room...Actually, I need all my things from my room.”, she replied.

“Already taken care of.”, Cabe said, “I just got off the phone with some other agents. I called in a few favors...your stuff is being taken over to the garage but I can have an agent bring down some clothes.”

“Okay, that’s great... What’s the weather like today?”, Megan asked.

“It’s nice. Kind of warm though.”, Paige replied, “You could get away with wearing a sun dress.”

“You’re gonna have to get away with wearing whatever you can,”, Happy said, “I can feel Collins coming closer...”

“Can you hit him with your pain projection?”, Toby asked.

“No. I can’t. I’m still weak from earlier...”, Happy replied, “Hang on... Joey’s coming...”

The door opened and Joey slipped inside before locking the door. He had a bag in his arms and he dropped it on the floor.

“I came as fast as I could...There’s a vampire here...His name is Ray and he says he’s a friend of Miss O’Brien’s...he’s even got flowers...I don’t trust him so I told him to wait and I ran back here but I think he’s looking around for the room anyway.”

“Then how do we leave? We’re on the fifth floor so we won’t be jumping out the window, that’s for sure...”, Happy asked.

“We walk right out of the employee entrance ...”, Joey said, picking up the bag before opening it up to reveal uniforms, “I doused them in a masking tonic, my  mother-in-law has been making this stuff for years...whenever I need it, she’ll hook me up.”

“Did you get enough?”, Walter asked. 

Joey pulled out the uniforms.

“I only have enough for five people...”, he replied.

Walter looked at Paige and Ralph and Cabe.

“How do we get the rest of them out?”, Walter asked.

“Well, You three could walk out the front doors. I’ll hit the half vampire and the fledgling with some tonic and you can all walk out the front.”

“Ray will recognize them right off the bat.”, Toby replied, “In fact, Ray isn’t even his real name, it’s Mark...”

“I can bring a laundry cart around after you leave and the three of them can get in it and I’ll take them down to the laundry room before letting them out through the emergency exit...”, Joey suggested.

“He’s trying the doors in the hall...” Cabe said, “I can hear him.”

“Do you have shoes in that bag?”, Megan asked.

“I have some fish head sneakers in my locker, I can go get them...”

“I have a spare pair of shoes in my bag...”, Paige said, rummaging in her tote purse, “They’re for when my high heels get too uncomfortable...”, she added, brandishing a pair of flats.

“These are perfect. Now can I wear your leggings and sweater?”, Megan asked.

“I guess...I don’t know how well they’ll fit though.”, Paige said.

“Doesn’t matter.”, Megan said, pulling the IV lines out of her arms and the nasal cannula out of her nose before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and hopping down onto the floor, standing unassisted on her own two feet for the first time in years. 

Paige nodded and the team averted their eyes as Paige pulled off her leggings and handed them to Megan, who pulled them on quickly. 

“Here, I’m wearing a camisole under this shirt, you can borrow it.”, Happy said and pulled her own plaid flannel shirt off and handed it to Megan who buttoned it up swiftly over her hospital gown.

“Thanks.”

Paige handed her sweater to Megan and then Megan pulled the flats on.

“Alright Joey, we’re ready...”, Megan said. 

“Okay...now I have an idea and you all may not like it...on the count of three, we all sprint out this door and towards the elevator...”, Joey stated.

“You’re right, I don’t like that idea, especially since we’ll be running right towards Mark.”, Happy stated.

“Fine then. Follow me.”, Joey said.

“What about Paige and Ralph, they’re not like us...they can’t run like we can...”, Walter said, glancing back at the young mother and his fledgling protégé. 

“This is our best chance at escaping...”, Joey replied. 

Just then, the door handle jiggled and the coven went dead quiet.

Collins was here.

Walter looked at Paige and Ralph and his breath caught in his throat.

Paige had Ralph huddled close to her and she was clearly protecting him. Paige was scared for her son and at that moment, she looked Walter dead in the eyes with a fearful expression.

She was terrified and Walter couldn’t help but feel like this was all his fault.

Walter promised himself that Paige and Ralph would be protected at all costs when he met them, he would stand by that promise until the day he died. 

Walter walked over to the two and came almost cheek to cheek with Paige.

“I’ll protect you.”, Walter whispered, not missing the way Paige shivered at his tone.

“I trust you, Walter.”, she whispered in reply and placed her hand over his heart, sending a rush of heat through his body and he nodded.

He got in front of Paige and Ralph, shielding them as best he could. Cabe stood beside him.

“On the count of three, I take Ralph, you take Paige, we carry them and we run...”, Cabe murmured.

Walter nodded.

Joey turned around and held up three fingers before counting back.

_Three_

Walter turned and picked Paige up as if she were weightless and her arms went right around his neck as she exhaled sharply. They made eye contact for a split second as Walter’s eyes changed.

_Two_

Ralph was lifted into Cabe’s arms and Happy grabbed Paige’s tote purse as Toby grabbed Ralph’s backpack.

Megan grabbed the needles off of her bed and detached them from the machines before holding them up at eye level with the points out at the front of the group. 

Sylvester whispered, "Aim for the eyes, it'll buy us some time.", before kissing her on the cheek.

They were ready to run and the coven glanced around at each other and nodded their silent  _“good luck”_  wishes to each other.

_One_

Joey unlocked the door and the entire coven sprinted forward with fangs bared, headed for the exit.

Megan O’Brien, however, was headed straight towards the very vampire who had tried to kill her and with a dangerous, vengeful hiss and a cry of “YOU BASTARD!”, she ran her needles straight into the startled scarlet eyes of one Mark Collins.

Collins fell with a bloodcurdling scream, blinded, if only for a moment, by Megan's attack. 

The coven was running full-tilt out of the ICU and went right to the stairs, running down four flights before racing across the parking lot to the van and piling in before peeling off towards the garage. Joey waved them away as he ran back into the hospital. 

"We did it...", Megan breathed as they drove off.

"We certainly did...", Cabe replied.

Walter nodded and, although the danger had passed and she was safe, Paige pulled Walter closer and buried her face into his neck before exhaling shakily.

"I'm sorry, I'm just...I-I need a minute...", she murmured, her eyelashes fluttering on Walter's neck.

Walter just held her and let her calm down. 

"Take your time...", he murmured and held her close, "I'm not going anywhere..."

"Promise?", she whispered, her fingers curling into his hair lightly, sending chills down his spine.

"I promise.", Walter replied.


	7. Truth (Part 1)

When they arrived at the garage and disembarked, Megan was the first one out of the van, scrambling out and standing triumphantly on her own two feet, a broad smile on her face.

Walter and Paige were the last ones to exit the van and Walter still partially supported her.

Paige had been shaken by their escape and she held Walter’s hand as she sat down in the chair behind her desk. Walter pulled up his own desk chair and sat with her as the rest of the coven became occupied with their own things.

“Are you feeling okay?”, he asked as she stared blankly at the papers on her desk. 

She nodded silently.

“Uh, can you say something please? I-I’m not really good at picking up on emotional cues a-and your scent isn’t telling me much...”, Walter said awkwardly.

Silence was one of those things that didn’t really help anyone, especially in cases such as these.

Paige was used to verbalizing and emoting, in fact, those were two of the main reasons why Paige was on the team. 

Walter didn’t know how to respond to silence, but he knew that Paige wouldn’t like it if he walked away from her now. He had told Paige in the van that he wasn’t going anywhere and he was a man of his word.

Paige sighed and looked at everyone in the garage and Walter followed her gaze.

Ralph and the rest of the coven were opening Megan’s boxes and helping her look for her clothes so that she could shower and change. 

Megan was laying on the sofa with her shirt up as Toby removed her stitches. Sylvester handed Megan a pint of blood from his mini fridge and watched Toby work on her. Megan took the pint carefully before catching the gazes of Paige and Walter and lifting it in a toast.

Walter and Paige nodded back to her and Megan sipped from the blood carefully before her eyes went red and she sucked the rest of the blood down in an instant.

“Can we talk somewhere private?”, Paige asked, her soft brown eyes shifting to Walter.

Walter nodded and they stood up, their hands still locked together and he led her up to the loft before closing the door behind them. He didn’t notice that Ralph’s eyes were following them as they left the main area.

Paige led him to his sofa and he sat down next to her. 

“Okay...”, Walter said as they settled onto the sofa.

“Walter... there have been too many close calls...”, Paige said, looking him in the eyes.

“I agree-”, he began but Paige silenced him with a wave of her hand.

“Please, just let me finish.”, Paige said.

Walter nodded quietly.

“As I was saying, there have been far too many close calls, especially when Ralph’s safety is involved and most of these things could have been prevented if I was only changed...I could have defended Ralph from Drew, I could have lived in my own home, protected my son... I could have sensed that Collins was near at the hospital... I could have saved Ralph...I could protect him now when he needs it the most...”, Paige replied.

Walter could feel her desperation and sense the waves of tension rolling off of her.

“I know you told me that you don’t think it’s necessary for me to become a vampire and I understand...”, Paige said and Walter met her gaze, his heart going out to the young mother as she blinked and tears rolled down her cheeks, tracking makeup down her cheeks, “But Ralph’s my baby...after he was born, when I held him for the first time, before Drew came into the room, Ralph was crying and fussing in my arms and I-I promised him that no harm would come to him, that as long as I lived, he would be safe...I can’t abandon my promise to him, I can’t do that and still feel like I’m being a good mother...”

Walter inhaled shakily.

He had to choose his words carefully.

“Paige...I want what is best for Ralph, all of us do... but I also want what is best for you...”, he replied, “There has to be some sort of middle ground between what is best for you and what is best for Ralph, and I’m sure there is a solution somewhere, we just have to find it.”

Just then, Walter picked up a scent that was curious and hovering nearby and Walter couldn’t help but smile a little at how alike he and Ralph really were.

“I should also tell you that our conversation is no longer private...”, Walter whispered before calling in a louder voice, “Come in Ralph...”

The door to the loft opened and Ralph entered, his scent reflecting embarrassment and guilt. The boy closed the door behind him and came over to where his mother and Walter were sitting with their hands still linked.

Paige let go of Walter’s hand to embrace her son.

Ralph stepped back and looked at both adults.

“I’m sorry I was eavesdropping...”, he apologized.

Paige nodded and replied.

“We were going to call you up in a minute or two, but just remember to respect other people’s privacy in the future, okay?”, she said in a firm, motherly tone.

Ralph nodded.

“Okay.”

“Here,”, Walter rose and pulled up a chair for Ralph, “Your mother and I were just discussing something important.”

“You want to be a vampire, don’t you, mom?”, Ralph blurted out.

“Well, eventually, I had hoped that I would, but I wanted to get some opinions first...”, she replied, “What do you think?”, she asked.

The boy thought for a moment.

“Why did you want to be turned?”, Ralph asked.

“I wanted to do it for you so that you’ll have someone else to guide you through your transition. I want to be there when you go hunting and get to see a great deal of your achievements that you’ll make in your lifetime, because I know you’ll do great things.”, Paige replied.

“You also want to protect me?”, Ralph asked.

“Naturally, I’m your mother and that’s my responsibility.”, she said.

Ralph sighed in relief.

“I thought you were doing this because of what Drew told you, even though there was a low chance of you listening to and fulfilling his request.”, Ralph replied. 

Paige looked at Walter.

“Mom, can I say something about your decision in general?”

“Um, sure.”, she replied.

“Okay...I want you to be happy. You don’t have to be a vampire to be happy but I also want to be able to do more things with you, like go hunting, so I guess that I do want you to be a vampire...I know that the transformation process is supposed to hurt really bad, but when I look at Megan, she doesn’t seem to remember the pain, she just seems to be happy about who she has become.”, Ralph replied, “I want you to be as happy as she is. Being with Scorpion has already made both of us happy but I know this will make it even better.”

“So you want me to be a vampire?”, Paige asked.

Ralph nodded.

“I think that it would benefit the rest of the coven as well as myself if you changed. I also think that you’d be gifted. If I am a genius and a vampire and I got those genes from you, then there’s a high probability that you’ll be gifted too.”, he replied.

“But we don’t know that for sure.”, Paige said, “Your father told me that when he was changed, he was told that any of his children would be gifted...It’s possible that he gave you those genes, not me.”

“We can find out...”, Ralph replied, looking at his mother, “I’m sure Walter knows about gel electrophoresis. We can ask Drew for a few DNA samples and then we’ll use similar DNA samples from you and run it against my DNA to see if there is any correlation. I-I just really want you to be the reason why I’m a genius and a vampire...I really don’t want to have a lot in common with him other than my necessary genes...”

“Well, we can find out soon...”, Paige said and looked at Walter, who nodded.

“We’ll start tomorrow with the preparations, how’s that sound buddy?”, Walter asked.

“It sounds good.”, Ralph said.

Walter felt his heart skip a beat because Ralph’s eyes lit up at the prospect of learning new things about himself and his mother.

“I’m glad you’ll be learning something new while you’re out of school, but I did ask your teacher to email me your makeup work, so you have to do that too.”, Paige said.

Ralph nodded and looked at his mom, “You know, I know why I’m out of school... I don’t know who Mark Collins is except that he’s a very bad vampire, even if he was nice to us at the diner and even if I don’t know what he did to make Walter and the rest of the coven mad, I trust Walter...he has good reasons for why he does things...”, Ralph looked at Walter, “Thank you for caring for us and making sure we’re safe and happy...”

Then Ralph did something unexpected. He got up and embraced his mentor.

The older genius was surprised and slowly brought his arms around to return the hug.

“No problem buddy.”, Walter said, patting Ralph on the back lightly.

Ralph’s grip tightened and he whispered,

“It feels like home here and I like it.”

Something about those words tugged at Walter’s heart and he held the boy tighter.

 “You and your mom are always welcome here...I enjoy the company...”

“Mom and I enjoy your company too, but I think mom enjoys it in a different way than I do.”, Ralph said as he pulled away, “We both like watching you work though...” 

Paige was staring at the floor and blushing profusely and he couldn’t sense her emotions over her embarrassment, which scared him a bit.

“And that’s good because you like watching mom work too.”, Ralph said, “I don’t really understand what’s so fascinating about watching anyone complete paperwork though... Toby said you probably liked watching mom stretch most of all, which is good because he also said that mom likes watching you stretch too. I learned in Gym class that flexibility is an important part of physical fitness, so we’re all healthy here and that’s good too...”

Now it was Walter’s turn to feel his face get hot.

He was going to have a nice long talk with Toby about watching what he said to Ralph regarding his attraction to Paige and had a feeling that the pretty liaison was going to do the same. 

As if on cue, there was a crash from downstairs, and Megan swore.

“Is everything okay down there?”, Walter called.

“One of the box bottoms gave out when I picked it up and all my beads went everywhere...”, Megan called back.

“Beads?”, Ralph asked, raising an eyebrow.

“She made glass beaded jewelry. It was a craft to help her keep her fine motor skills in check...She actually got really good at it too...”, Walter replied.

“Maybe I should go help...”, Ralph suggested, sensing the tension in the room and wanting to be free from it, as if he knew that he had said something that was a bit embarrassing. 

“Go ahead, just close the door behind you, okay?”, Paige replied.

Ralph nodded and dashed out of the loft, closing the door behind himself.

The second he was gone, Paige looked at Walter.

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”, he asked before Paige could say anything.

“What? No, not at all...”, she replied and Walter relaxed a little, “Why would I be mad at you?”, she asked.

“Because I’m the one with an IQ of 197. I should have had enough foresight to know that this whole situation would only get worse for you and for Ralph.”, Walter replied as he stood up and paced the floor in front of the couch, “In a way, I’m the one to blame for all of this...You’re also probably mad that I was watching you...”

He met Paige’s gaze and noticed there was a softness to it that sent goosebumps racing across his skin.

“This isn’t your fault and you know it.”, Paige murmured, “And I watch you too so we’re even.”

Walter didn’t want Paige’s forgiveness just yet and shook his head, feeling as though he’d rather earn it back for all the hell she went through.

“The moment you asked me if you would benefit Ralph more as a vampire than as a normal, I should have gone with my gut feeling and told you yes, even if I didn’t have any evidence to support or refute that statement, remember Paige, I only state facts, I don’t like making uneducated guesses and presenting them as the solid truth...”, Walter looked back at her, “I’d never lie to you...”

“I would never lie to you either...”, she replied.

For a moment, the loft was silent and the air was still.

For a moment, the only thing passed between them was the intensity of their eye contact

“Was that the only reason why you didn’t want me changed before?”, Paige asked, her eyes staring into his soul, giving him the sensation that he was being studied.

Walter’s jaw twitched in surprise at her sudden inquisition. 

He couldn’t tell her that his feelings concerning her as a potential mate had also played a role in his initial response but he couldn’t lie to her either.

“It was one of the reasons.”, he replied carefully.

“And were there others?”, Paige asked.

“Yes... but I don’t think that they are too important, given the current circumstances.”, he replied smoothly.

“I’ll be the judge of that.”, she replied, her voice taking on an inquisitive tone.

Paige stood slowly and Walter’s eyes followed the angles that her dress made on her frame as she moved, getting lost in a sort of anatomical and geometric appreciation before forcing his eyes back up to meet her unwavering gaze.

He couldn’t even manipulate the truth with her.

“Uh, you remember how I told you that mood creates a scent?”, Walter asked.

“Yeah.”, Paige replied slowly.

“Well, uh, a-a funny thing happened a few weeks ago, actually, it was the same day we sat down and spoke about scent and m-mates...”, he replied, stammering as he did whenever he became nervous, “I’m sorry Paige. That day when you passed my desk in the morning when you were taking Ralph to school, you must have been um, well, you know, aroused or otherwise um bothered by something because, I uh, w-well I actually began reciprocating... I-I didn’t even know it until Toby said something about it to me...”, he replied, avoiding her gaze as his face got hotter.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“So you were responding to me?”, Paige asked, her tone not seeming to reflect any disgust, anger, or distrust.

“Yeah, but I didn’t mean to do it...If that makes sense.”, he said.

“No, no, it makes perfect sense... I just don’t quite understand why this would be a reason for me to remain normal.”, she replied, “I mean, if I was a vampire and I was putting out that aroused scent and you were reciprocating and, for the sake of this conversation, let’s say you were just what I was interested in so I produced euphoria and you produced yours, would we be able to stop things before they got serious?”, Paige asked.

Walter shrugged and finally looked up at Paige.

“Honestly, I have no clue. None of us here have ever experienced raw euphoria but I’ve heard that once it’s released by both parties, there is very little you can do to stop it from taking hold. Euphoria is a very potent aphrodisiac. I read somewhere that it can end if one or both parties is uncomfortable or if they are attacked suddenly, but other than that, I’ve heard it described as being similar to a virus, you have to let it run its course and end naturally through uh, release...”, Walter replied.

Paige nodded.

“So you were worried that if I was changed and something like that happened again that one or both of us would become compromised because we’d be, um...”, Paige trailed off, searching for an appropriate term to use.

“Occupied with each other.”, Walter supplied and Paige nodded, “I’m sorry if that was a bad reason for giving you my initial response.”

Paige shook her head.

“It’s a perfectly acceptable reason...”, she replied, “I just wish you would have told me sooner.”

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t want there to be tension, you know?”, Walter asked.

“I get it. Thanks for being up front about it now...”, she replied.

There was a period of silence and then Walter felt himself asking, “So, while we’re being honest with each other, and I hope you don’t mind me asking because it’s pretty personal, uh, that morning when you were, you know... uh, bothered, was that about anything in particular?”

Paige inhaled sharply and her eyebrows rose.

“Uh... wow, I wasn’t expecting that...”, she said.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked, that was--”

“Walter it’s fine, really-”

“-incredibly rude of me, I apologize.”

“-I’m going to be honest with you because you were honest with me.”, she stated, silencing him.

 Walter noticed how close she was to him, realizing in the back of his mind that if he reached out, he could hold her hand.

In a moment, the awkwardness set in again and Paige cleared her throat.

“Yeah so, that morning I was watching you and Ralph and I don’t know, something about the way you were talking to him, just struck me and, I’ll admit it, I was, um, excited, I guess by you... I mean I guess it’s true what some single parents say,”, Paige laughed a little nervously, “There’s nothing more attractive to a single parent than a partner who cares for their child as if it were their own.”

Walter was surprised that his paternal role in Ralph’s life had caused Paige to feel that way. 

“I’m surprised.”, he said blankly. 

“Why? That I was turned on by your paternal side?”, She asked.

“Well, yeah, naturally, but also how we’re having this conversation...”, Walter replied, “I thought this would be extremely awkward for both of us...I-I seriously thought that my EQ was nonexistent and now here I am, telling you how I feel about you becoming a vampire, how I feel guilty for not acting sooner and ashamed because I asked a really personal question and now how I’m feeling surprised and apologetic all at the same time...”

Paige nodded and reached out to him, placing one hand on his bicep and gazed into his eyes again. 

“It’s really strange...”, Walter added and looked at her, noticed how she tucked her hair back over her ear and gazed at him with a gentleness in her smile that he didn’t think he deserved.

“You’re learning how to handle emotions like most people do. I’m proud of you...this is a big step.”, she replied, “And for the record, I thought this would be awkward too...turns out that it really isn’t.”

Walter felt the corners of his lips pulling upward and into a smile. 

“Thanks... I’m also surprised that I turned you on and didn’t even know it.”, he murmured.

Paige shrugged a little.

“I mean, honestly, look at yourself.”, she said, “You’re a vampire and you’re one of the smartest men in recorded history, you are self-reliant and you run a company out of your home. You’re a leader of a coven. You have all this knowledge at your beck and call.”

“And yet somehow I am hindered by processing emotions.”, he said with a small smile and a shrug.

“You’re working on it.”, Paige replied and stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his forearms before moving down and holding his hands, “I’m proud of your success so far...”

The warm rush of her touch didn’t seem so unpredictable now and Walter looked her right in the eyes as his heart began to beat faster.

“Walter, you have positive and attractive qualities that go beyond the physical qualities that you have...I mean, your physical qualities are very attractive as well too, don’t get me wrong...”, she trailed off and her eyes searched his face, “And yet, with all these qualities on your side, you still found Ralph and I and let us in...”

“It was all a matter of needs.”, Walter replied easily, “We all needed someone. You needed someone to give you a chance. Scorpion needed someone that could think the way you do. Ralph needed someone to help him understand himself, both as a genius and as a vampire...”

Walter found himself stepping closer to the young mother, their bodies mere inches apart.

“And what about you?”, Paige asked softly, the sunlight coming in the window bathing her in gold as she looked up at him, “What did you need?”

Walter thought for a second.

“I needed a reason to improve...”, he murmured, “I was going nowhere in my job without good communication skills... I thought I was perfectly content with the way things were but, the truth is, I was ignorant and lonely.”

Paige drew slightly nearer, her eyes glancing down at his lips and back up to his eyes, an action that Walter took note of.

“I guess I needed you, Paige...”, he murmured.

It was like they were magnets, like polar opposites that were being drawn together, like two halves that were about to meet for the first time.

The moment happened in slow motion and Walter knew that he would be replaying these memories in his mind forever. 

Paige’s eyes closed and Walter felt her pulse accelerate as her excited scent penetrated the air, its heady mixture of sweet and spicy making Walter reciprocate again. 

He wondered if she was feeling that fluttery sensation of butterflies in her stomach too.

 Her hands slid from his palms to around his neck, her slender fingers weaving up through the curls at the base of his skull and sending a bolt of arousal straight to his core.

His eyes closed and he was lost in the dark, searching for Paige as his own hands found her hips and pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together.

The moment their lips met, it was like nothing either of them had ever experienced before. Their first kiss was both impossibly chaste and yet held so many powerful emotions that Walter was having a difficult time defining.  

They fit together like pieces to a puzzle and the world around them fell away.

They pulled apart for a second and looked into each other’s eyes before something snapped and a split second later, they were wrapped up in each other’s arms and kissing each other hungrily.

Walter heard Paige hum in pleasure and that little noise just spurred him on. He plunged his fingers into her soft wavy locks and she hummed again before pressing her slender body into his.

He must have been doing something right to have her respond like that, so he continued.

Paige felt herself melting into Walter’s embrace, Walter felt himself pulling Paige closer, his hands moving up and down her back and through her hair.

Walter felt himself moving backwards blindly, sitting down hard when his calves hit the sofa, pulling Paige down with him.

Paige didn’t complain, she rucked up her skirt, straddled his hips, and tangled her fingers in his hair, keeping him close to her.

Walter pulled her lower half impossibly closer and mindlessly rolled his hips upward, making Paige shiver delicately before slowly grinding down onto his hard length, causing him to growl low in his throat at their contrary motion.

She was going to be the death of him, he just knew it, but as she opened her mouth against his and invited him in, he found that he didn’t really care.

He got a taste of her and that was it, he was gone, tangling his tongue with hers and indulging fully in the effect she had on him. If this was what it felt like to have a full EQ, then he never wanted to go back to being the emotionally stunted man he had been. 

Paige pulled back to breathe and Walter used this time to pepper kisses across her jaw and feather them down to her neck. 

His lips ghosted over her carotid artery and Walter instantly knew that he was in dangerous waters here. He hadn’t had blood in days and Paige was so tempting. 

Her heart was pounding out a dizzying tempo, her blood running hot through her veins and he was becoming more and more attracted to the way she was so trusting towards him.

“Walter?”, she whispered in a voice that made his heart race.

She tugged lightly on his glossy curls as he pressed kisses against her hot skin and thought of how easy it would be to just  _bite down_.

He lingered at her collarbone and pushed her neckline a little bit to the side before sucking gently for a minute as he rolled his hips into her.

Paige dropped her head to his shoulder and moaned his name quietly in a low aroused tone that only he could hear. 

“Mmm, Walter...”, Paige sighed and lifted his chin, removing his lips from her skin.

He tore himself away from the light mark he had left on her skin and stared at her face instead as he pushed her neckline back in place and hid the mark.

Paige was so beautiful, her lips were pinker than normal from being kissed, her hair was mussed from his hands running through it and her irises were a thin ring of caramel brown around her pupils. The light shining through the window behind her was giving her an almost angelic glow and it was better than any dream he had ever had of her. 

In that split second, Walter knew, he just  _knew_ , that Cabe had been right about everything.

He had been lying to himself about love. He had seen the light and there was no going back now.

He felt himself smile as he realized how little he actually cared about going back to who he was.

Denial was an emotional disease for him and Paige, well, she was his cure.

“What?”, she whispered and blushed, “What are you smiling at?”

“You.”, he murmured in response, causing her blush to deepen as she bit her lower lip and smiled shyly as she looked away from his intense gaze.

Paige’s eyes flicked back to Walter before sinking down and resting against him, her face buried in the crook of his neck, her lips pressing against the skin just above his collar.

She loved how he was cool to the touch but still quite warm and she loved how there was light in his soft brown eyes whenever he looked at her. 

She loved how he looked at her when his eyes were scarlet, as if all the wonders of science and mathematics paled in comparison to her.

But most of all, she loved how he was always thinking about what she and Ralph needed.

She pulled back and lifted her right hand. Walter gazed up at her before he mirrored her and placed his palm against hers in a silent gesture of understanding and as her soft hand met his calloused hand, somehow that touch was vastly more intimate to both of them than anything else they had done.

Her softness was an illusion and Walter knew it. Those hands, her hands, had worked hard, nurtured and cared for a son, and had created a good life and built a loving home for Ralph when there had been nothing but rock bottom. 

Walter kissed her hand and watched as Paige blushed before pulling her back against himself and kissing her slowly, their hands roaming, exploring each other, experimenting with different touches and learning how the other would react and testing the waters of their new-found physical connection.   

Walter didn’t know how much time had passed since they started before he heard footsteps on the stairs, but he was no longer hard, so that was one less embarrassing thing he’d have to explain to whomever it was.

Paige got off of his lap and sat next to him, fixing her messy hair and smoothing down her skirt. Walter adjusted his belt and the collar of his shirt and both of them looked quite nonchalant by the time someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!”, Walter called out and Megan entered the room with a change of clothes and her shower caddy in hand.

“Hey, can you point me in the direction of the shower? I’d like to wash this hospital smell off of me asap.”, she asked before sniffing the air, “Was I interrupting something?”

“No you’re fine.”, Paige replied casually.

Megan smirked knowingly and nodded.

“Yeah, sure... My lips are sealed...”, she replied.

“You can use the one in the guest bathroom or the one in the master bathroom.”, Walter replied pointing to each bathroom, ignoring her response, “On second thoughts, use the master bathroom, I still haven’t gotten around to cleaning out the guest bathroom from the science experiment Ralph and I did in there the other day.”

Paige got this look on her face like she just understood something.

“So that’s why he’s been using the master bathroom all of a sudden...”, she murmured.

“Yeah. I should really clean that up...”

“Well thanks, I’ll just be about a half an hour at the most...Oh and Walt, I’m moving in with Sylvester so you don’t have to worry about me taking up more space here...”, Megan replied.

“Sounds good.”. Walter said and looked at Paige when Megan had closed the door behind herself.

“I should go make something for dinner... It’s been a really long day.”, Paige stated before prodding the sofa with a frown, “How on earth do you sleep on this? Your bed is like a pillow and this is-”

“solid as a rock...”, Walter muttered, feeling his back, neck and shoulders starting to ache just thinking about having to spend even one more night on the sofa, “I work myself to the brink of exhaustion and then just try to put myself in the state where I’m so tired that I’ll sleep anywhere...most times, I just stare at the ceiling and let my mind go.”

“You know; you’ll end up wearing yourself out if you keep doing that... You could always sleep with me.”, She said, her eyes growing wide and blushing as she quickly added, “I mean, share the bed with me, not, well, you know,  _sleep_  with me...”

Walter nodded.

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer...It’s more important to be as strong and as aware as possible, especially now with everything that’s happening...”

“Hey Walter, you might want to get down here and take a look at this...”, Toby called.

Whatever it was, Walter felt like they were about to reach a turning point and he squeezed Paige’s hand, preparing himself for anything.

 


	8. Truth (Part 2)

Walter and Paige rose and left the loft.

“What is it?”, Walter asked as he approached the desk where Sylvester was working on his computer.

“Well, you got a few emails from Joey.”, Toby replied.

“How did he get my email address?”, Walter asked and sat down behind his desk to open his email.

“He pulled your info off of Megan’s contact sheet.”, Toby replied.

“Well, it looks like he sent us the video of our escape and what happened to Collins before he had his cousin in the security office scrub the video feeds.”, Walter said and turned on the projector so that the whole coven could see what happened.

Paige told Ralph to go upstairs and read because she didn’t want him seeing it again and Ralph obeyed.

Walter understood, Ralph was still a kid and he still had innocence in him. Walter didn’t want to take that away from him, it had to come with time, and now wasn’t that time.

Paige looked at Walter and came to stand beside him after watching her son ascend to the loft. Walter cleared his throat and began the clip. 

 “Here we are... we’re still in Megan’s room, there’s Collins trying the door and there we are escaping... and there’s where Megan blinded Collins... now we’re watching Collins stagger out...” 

“But Megan blinded him, didn’t she?”, Paige asked, her hand on his arm, “How is he still standing?”

“Well, it looks like she injured his right, non-dominant eye and completely destroyed his left, dominant eye. When a vampire loses the use of one of their senses, the other senses take over. See how he’s got a hand on his eyes and the other hand on the wall, he’s feeling his way out and using scent to guide his way. His eyes will heal in time if he’s lucky, the right one will probably be fully functional in about a week at the very least, but his left eye...”, Toby paused and let out a low whistle, “It’s possible that he’ll never see out of that eye again, and even if he does, that eye will never heal completely...”  

Walter nodded.

“So we need to know where we stand in our fight against Collins. Can you call up Agent Phipps and have him bring Drew over?”, Happy asked Cabe.

“Can’t bring him here, but we can set up a video call with him at the safe house.”, Walter murmured as he typed away, “I can monitor the connection and defend it from being monitored by any third parties...Cabe, can you have Agent Phipps take a few saliva samples and buccal swabs from Drew…”

“Yeah, no problem…what are they for? I have a feeling that Drew will ask about them, I want Agent Phipps to be able to give him a straight answer.”, Cabe replied.

“Ralph wants to do a science experiment and he needs DNA from both parents to complete it.”, Walter replied without breaking the flow of his typing.

“Got it.”, Cabe said with a nod.

“What else did Joey say?”, Sylvester asked.

“Um, he said that we were in the clear as far as Megan is concerned...”, Walter replied, “He said that he spoke to his grandmother, one of the coven elders, and she will spread the word on Collins to the rest of their coven. He also added that his coven will offer shelter if we needed it, but that Paige would have to be changed or guarded closely for her own safety because there are too many vampires who can’t be trusted around humans… he said that they were addicted to human and in the coven’s rehab program to make the switch to animal. He urges us to get in contact with the  _Vecchio Ordine_...That’s all...”

 “Okay then, let’s find out what Drew wanted to tell us earlier.”, Cabe said.

A few minutes later, Drew’s image was up on Walter’s monitor. 

“Hey, thanks for getting me away from Collins... I can’t count the number of times he’s done that mind control BS to me...”, Drew began.

“Don’t thank me just yet, you’re still technically an accomplice. I just want to know what Collins’s agenda is.”, Walter replied.

“He wanted to use me to get to you.”

Megan came down the stairs in her clean clothes and came over to where everyone else was gathered around the screen.

“What’s going on?”, she asked, “I saw Ralph up there reading and he said you guys were talking about adult business.”

“We’re talking to Drew.”, Sylvester replied.

“So this is Drew...”, Megan said as she came closer.

“Yeah, who are you?”, Drew asked.

“Megan O’Brien.”, she replied.

“I thought you’d be dead by now...”, Drew said.

“Surprise.”, Happy deadpanned, making Drew glare daggers at the mechanical prodigy.

“Why did Collins target Megan?”, Walter asked, ignoring Happy’s quip.

“He went after Megan because she would be your natural successor if she was changed and his goal was to kill her so that you wouldn’t have that option...He wants to cut off the head so the body dies, leave the coven without a leader so it has to disband.” 

“I knew it.”, Walter muttered.

“Well he failed. I’m here now and I’m alive and changed and I’ll be ready for him if he tries to come after me again...”, Megan replied.

“Fair enough.”, Drew replied, “Collins’s next move would be to go after Paige and Ralph if I hadn’t removed them from the picture, that’s why I was a jerk at the park.”

“What do you mean?”, Paige asked.

Drew sighed.

“It’s a terrible excuse but it’s the truth, I swear. Collins gave me a time constraint to get you and Ralph to safety and it took me so long to track you guys down that I was getting a little desperate...I never stopped loving you or Ralph...”, he replied.

Paige scoffed.

“Sorry, but just saying that won’t convince me of anything.”, she replied before leaning in to the camera and whispering angrily with a glance towards the loft, “You do realize that there were days when I was starving and sleep deprived and sick and aching because I was doing  _everything_  I could to give Ralph the life he deserved? All those years, I gave up my education and did without things I needed because his needs came first.”

“Paige I’m sorr-”, Drew began.

“Don’t. Don’t say it.”, Paige snapped and continued, the heat of her rage radiating off of her in waves, her tone rising in volume as she went on, “We were evicted once and I had to work out a deal with my former employer just so I could avoid sleeping on the street. Ralph was about four. I worked two jobs just to make ends meet. Ralph and I deservebetter than an ‘I love you’ and an apology after  _seven goddamn years._ The least you could have done was picked up the phone and called Ralph on his birthday and on Christmas, just to show him that you still cared.”

“Paige, that’s not how it was, I was busy-”

“So you got so wrapped up in your new life that you just forgot about your own son?”, she asked.

Drew shook his head.

“Dammit Paige, you don’t get it, do you? If I don’t take you and Ralph away to someplace safe, Collins will kill you and Ralph.”, he replied, “I have a right to keep my son safe, you know.” 

Paige was shaking now, her anger mingling with sadness and she huffed in agitation, shaking her head.

“What don’t you understand? Ralph doesn’t want to be around you, he doesn’t want to become you or have anything to do with you. You hurt him and you hurt me, those are two things that you can never undo.”

“Collins won’t stop until you’re all dead. He’ll go after Ralph first and when he does, he’ll make sure that you and the coven have front row seats because that’s the type of sick bastard that he is. Then you’ll be next and the rest will follow until your leader remains.”

Walter felt like he was going to be sick and he knew by looking at Toby and seeing how the behaviorist was covering his mouth in shock that Drew wasn’t bluffing.

“Shut the fuck up. How do we know you aren’t just saying this to get to us?”, Happy spat.

Megan closed her eyes and exhaled a curse.

“Because I saw Collins’s plans...”, she replied.

“And is it true? Does he really plan to do all that?”, Sylvester asked, placing his hand on Megan’s shoulder.

She nodded grimly.

“He gave a very watered down description of the scenario, it’s much more violent than that, but I’ll spare you the details...I’d rather not remember them myself...”, Megan muttered.

“How do you know them? Did Collins tell you?”, Drew asked.

“Not really, but-”

“Then how do you know?”, Drew cut her off.

“Look, when he was in my head, I saw all of his plans, when he took over my body, I fell into his mind...I don’t know how or why it happened, it just did.”, Megan replied. 

Drew paused and his eyes swept over all of them. 

“This is more serious than I thought. Paige, you need to come with me. Collins will follow through on this, only now I think he might change his plans, especially if he knows that I told you or that Megan was in his head. That makes him unpredictable and dangerous... I may not have been around for you or Ralph for seven years, but I will not let your lives rest in the hands of four crazy vampires, one old Halfling agent, and a newborn who may or may not have some crazy psychic powers. It’s suicide and you are playing with your life and the life of our son.”, Drew said, “I won’t allow it.”, he added with a note of finality in his voice, as if he had any real power over Paige or her choices.

“I trust this coven more than I trust you. Ralph and I are members of this coven, they have not abandoned us and we will not abandon them, besides, how will you, a single vampire, be able to protect us better than five and a half vampires? You don’t have any gifts or talents, no combat training, and no backup. You have no place to hide from Collins and you have nobody to break you out of the Rabbit Hole should he attack you again. Your greatest contribution to our survival would be your baseball skills and you and I both know that those things won’t save us from Collins. At least here Ralph and I are surrounded by people who care for us.”

“You’re missing the point.”

“Am I? Or am I just calling you out on your lies?”, Paige asked before continuing, “Okay, for the sake of this conversation, suppose Ralph and I do go with you. How do I know that Collins won’t attack you as revenge for ratting him out? Are you really going to trust him to keep his promise to you? Do you really think he’ll spare us because you got us out in time? Ralph and I will not legally be under coven protection if we leave, so we become targets, and, seeing what Collins did to Megan, he isn’t likely to just let us live if he kills you. No, he’ll probably kidnap us and drag us back to a secluded place and hold us hostage until Walter does what Collins wants him to do, and even if Walter does comply, Collins will still probably kill us. Your plan is even more likely to kill us than mine is! Sylvester, help me out here, what is the best option that will lead to Ralph and I surviving?”

“Uh, statistically speaking, it would be to stay with us... you already explained why. Logically speaking, yours is the better option as well.”, Sylvester replied.

“Thank you Sylvester. I think I want to talk to Drew alone, ask him a few questions...Won’t take but a moment.”, Walter replied, and the coven members nodded and walked off to the back of the garage. 

“Paige... you should stay...”, Walter said as Paige began to get up and she nodded before sitting back down.

Paige placed her hand on Walter’s knee beneath his desk and he placed his hand on top of it, curling his fingers gently around hers in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

“Drew, I think it’s better this way, now please hear me out because I speak from experience. You can’t trust that Collins will stick to his word. He has betrayed all of us before and won’t hesitate to hit us where it will hurt the most. We all care deeply for Ralph’s well-being and we all want what is best for him. I relate to him as a genius and as a person who has gone through the transformation process, as can Happy, Toby, and Sylvester, so I can tell you, without a doubt, that removing Ralph from the coven is a poor choice. We aren’t just protecting Ralph from Collins, we are mentoring him and making sure he is well-equipped to handle life as he begins the transition from a fledgling to a full vampire and even beyond as he matures.”, Walter stated calmly.

“So you all are raising him? Who do you think you are? His parents? His family?”, Drew asked, “This is fucking ludicrous. Paige, these people are raising Ralph to be just like them and it won’t do him any favors.”

Walter felt like he had been slapped across the face.

_Could Drew really not see that he was trying to help?_

“Well someone has to raise him to be a responsible person and seeing as you aren’t one, you’ll have to leave that part to me, which is unfair because I had to be  _everything_ to Ralph for the past seven years.”, Paige replied before Walter could speak, “Walter and Scorpion are teaching Ralph how to be a genius, I’m their translator.”

“I don’t believe this.”, Drew mused aloud.

“What are you confused about? Why are you in disbelief?”, Walter asked, agitation becoming evident in his voice, “It’s simple: as Paige helps us understand the world and helps us to be normal, we help her understand Ralph. We both help Ralph to become a well-rounded individual who can connect with other people.”, Walter replied.

Unbeknownst to Walter, Paige, or Drew, Ralph was sitting in the shadows at the top of the stairs, quiet as a mouse, the open exhaust vent behind him pulling his scent outside so that he was practically invisible. He had been listening to the conversation since Megan had told them all how she saw Collins’s plans.

He didn’t like being left out of the loop because he was a member of the coven too, but he was still a little guilty for defying his mother’s wishes and eavesdropping when she had told him not to.

Ralph wanted to go down there and tell Drew that he didn’t want to go with him, not just because it would be dangerous for them, but because he didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

Ralph knew that his father was to thank for giving him life, but after that, he didn’t have anything else to thank him for. Some days, he wished that Walter could be his father, that way his mom would always be happy and he would always have someone he could relate to. He felt guilty for it, but he hoped that he and his mom would never have to go back to their apartment because they had grown so close to Walter and to the rest of the coven in the weeks they had been living in the garage.

Walter was always caring about him and his mother, making sure that they were comfortable and safe and happy, something that Drew didn’t do, and he wanted so badly to just tell them all how he felt.

Ralph perked up at Drew’s next question.

“You care about Paige, don’t you?”, he asked.

Walter inhaled sharply and gripped Paige’s hand tighter.

He didn’t know how to answer. 

Should he tell Drew that it was none of his business?

Should he say yes?

Walter took a deep breath and said, “Yes. Yes, I care about Paige. I care about her and I care about Ralph.”

“But do you love them?”, Drew asked, acid in his voice, “Or are you too emotionally stunted to even consider love as an option for someone like you? Do you even know what love is?”

“Drew, stop it.”, Paige demanded, “We have nothing more to say to you. Ralph and I are staying here and that’s final.”

Drew shook his head and laughed grimly.

“Damn Paige, are you really willing to risk it all just so you can stay there and screw your boss?”, he asked.

Walter felt his blood boil.

“You’ll never know and I’ll never tell you.”, Paige replied, surprisingly calm amid Drew’s verbal attacks.

“And how about you?”, Drew asked Walter, “How does it feel to sleep with another man’s woman, to raise his son?”

“For the record, it feels amazing to be Ralph’s paternal figure, he’s a great kid and will do more good than I ever will, and I am honored to be in his life. As for sleeping, well, that’s my business.”, Walter replied, drawing from Paige’s words to keep himself calm, “You were a fool to abandon them.”

Ralph felt something in the pit of his stomach and although he couldn’t put a name to what he was feeling, he knew that it was good and that it had been triggered by Walter’s previous statement.

Drew shook his head.

“Fine, whatever. I’m going to disappear now if what you say about Collins is true.”, Drew said and ended the call without so much as a goodbye.

Paige and Walter sat in silence for a few moments.

“We need to tell Ralph about this, that his father won’t be back...”, Paige murmured, “Oh God, how will he take it?”, she whispered, shaking her head.

“We’ll all get through this...”, Walter replied and Paige rested her head on his shoulder as he embraced her.

Ralph went to stand up and scurry back into the loft undetected, but his foot scuffed the floor lightly.

Ralph froze and looked down at his mom and Walter, hoping that they hadn’t heard him.

Paige kept her head on Walter’s chest, her back to the stairs, her normal hearing unable to detect the small noise, but Walter had enhanced vampire hearing, and his brown eyes flickered up to the darkness where Ralph was half-crouched.

Walter blinked and his eyes turned red and Ralph knew that Walter could see him now.

The two vampires stared at each other in a tense moment.

Walter was mildly surprised to see Ralph there but also unsure of whether he should make Ralph’s presence known to Paige or if he should keep Ralph’s hiding place a secret.

Walter decided that Ralph was better off sneaking back into the loft and waved discreetly at him.

Ralph nodded and was about to tiptoe back into the loft when he heard his mother’s voice and paused.

“How will I ever tell him that Drew is not coming back?”, Paige asked, “What if he’s upset by it and becomes reclusive?”

Walter looked up to the fledgling that he thought of as a son and saw the understanding in his eyes.

“I think that Ralph will be just fine…”, Walter replied, consoling Paige before winking at Ralph.

Ralph smiled at Walter and darted back into the loft.

Later on that night, after he and Ralph had cleaned up the bathroom, eaten dinner, quenched his bloodthirst, and the rest of the coven had gone home for the night, Walter stood in the kitchen and dried off his dishes while he listened as Paige tucked Ralph in and explained to him about Drew.

So far, Ralph had been taking it well that his father was not coming back.

“Now, I want you to know that your father did this for his own reasons and none of this was any of your fault, okay?”, Paige spoke softly.

 “I understand.”, Ralph replied, “He had to protect himself from Collins, didn’t he?”

“That’s right.”, Paige replied, “I’m surprised that you’re taking this so well…”

Walter heard the rustling of sheets and guessed that Ralph had shifted onto his side.

“I guess he was just passing through, like Halley’s Comet, here for only a short time before leaving for a long period of time, only now you said he’s not coming back...I feel a little hurt by that, but not as much as I think you would have expected from me.”, Ralph replied, “I didn’t know him very well as a child and while I remember more than most people would about their early childhood, almost all of my memories are of you, so it doesn’t hurt as bad.”

“That’s good.”, Paige murmured, “Don’t worry about Collins, we’re safe here and once Homeland is finished at our apartment, we can go home again, won’t that be nice?”, she asked, and even Walter heard the sad tone beneath her usual cheerful reassurance when she mentioned moving out.

 “Um, mom, can I tell you something?”, Ralph asked.

“Sure.”

Walter listened carefully to what Ralph had to say.

“I-I feel like I am home…I can’t really explain it, and that confuses me, but I just know that I feel happier here…I know that sometimes our arrangement is inconvenient, but I just wish we could stay forever.”, Ralph murmured, “I’m not too upset about Drew leaving again because I felt like I already had a father before he came back…”

Walter felt himself walking down the hall to where Ralph’s bedroom door was slightly ajar.

“Who?”, Paige asked, “Was it Walter?”

“Yeah.”, Ralph replied and then added excitedly, “Mom, he’s just like me. He helps us so much and he would never hurt us. He teaches me things that I’ve only ever wondered about and helps me get through school, even though I hate it and I’m bored because everything is too easy. My favorite thing is coming home and seeing that there are a bunch of problems on the board to solve. Walter doesn’t think my ideas or theories are silly, he treats my scientific or mathematical errors as teaching moments and helps me overcome them or explains to me how and why something didn’t work out the way I had hypothesized. I like that I can talk to him about anything… Mom, Walter is my friend but he’s also a teacher and he cares about me… I think that’s what a father should be…”

Walter rarely got overemotional to the point of tears, but Ralph’s words had moved him so much that he found himself wiping his eyes.  

Paige sniffled.

“Don’t cry mom…I didn’t mean to make you sad…”, Ralph murmured and Walter drew nearer to the door.

If he had been moved to shedding a few tears, Paige was probably on the verge of full-out sobbing.

“I’m not sad, I’m happy…”, she replied through her tears.

“I don’t understand.”, Ralph stated.

“Well, sometimes, if they’re strong enough, different emotions can make people cry. The emotions get to be overwhelming sometimes and they need somewhere to go.”

“So they come out as tears?”, Ralph asked.

“Sometimes they do.”, she replied.

“But there are other ways that emotions overflow, right? Like when Happy and Drew were mad at the park, Drew went to physically hurt Walter and Happy used her gift to hurt Drew. Or when you and Walter had just saved all those people for our first case, you got sick and he laughed in relief and both of those reactions were caused by fear…”, Ralph mused.

“Precisely.”, Paige replied.

Walter knocked on the door after a few moments to let Paige recover a little and to also hide the fact that he had been listening to them.

“Come in.”, Paige called, her voice clearer and stronger.

“Hi Walter.”, Ralph greeted, sitting up in bed.

“Hey buddy…I just wanted to come in and say goodnight.”, he said and knelt by Ralph’s bedside, “I want you to sleep well because we have a big day tomorrow, okay?”

“What will we be doing?”

“Well, I think we should start the day with some research on gel electrophoresis with emphasis on what sort of gel would work best with saliva and buccal swab samples, then we’ll get your mom’s DNA samples and prepare the gel. Around lunch, we’ll calculate the percentage of error and maybe take a break from things so that I can get some paperwork done and so that Happy can give you a crash course on motorcycle engines and repairing them.”, Walter replied.

“Cool…”, Ralph breathed, his eyes going wide with wonder as he imagined tomorrow’s events.

Paige cleared her throat and Walter glanced at her.

“Don’t forget to do your make-up work.”, she added.

Ralph nodded.

“I can do that during lunch, I guess.”, he shrugged, “Did my teacher send me the whole week’s work?”

“Yes, just remember that it’s only Monday and you have all week to complete these assignments.”, Paige replied.

Ralph looked at Walter and back at his mom.

“I can get them all done tomorrow at lunch.”, he replied, “That way I’ll have all week to work with the rest of the coven…you guys might need my help on a case…”

“Okay then.”, Paige leaned over and pressed a kiss to Ralph’s forehead, “For now, sleep tight.”, she said and stood up.

“Goodnight buddy, I’ll see you in the morning.”, Walter said and ruffled the boy’s hair.

“But I’m not tired…”, Ralph said as he laid down anyway, “How can I sleep if my mind is racing?”

Walter thought for a moment.

“Do you know all the digits of pi?”, he asked.

Ralph nodded.

“Try to recite them in your mind.”, Walter suggested.

“I’ve done that, it doesn’t always work…”, Ralph mumbled.

“Do you know all the elements and their compounds?”, Walter asked.

“Yeah, but those don’t help either.”, Ralph replied.

“Here, sometimes this helps.”, Paige murmured and sat down again.

Paige leaned over and turned on the rocket nightlight on Ralph’s bedside table and flicked off the overhead lamp.

Then she did something that Walter had never seen her do before.

She began to sing.

 Her voice was soft and sweet and Ralph’s eyelids began to droop almost instantly. Paige sang softer and softer, eventually rising from the bed and Walter took that as his cue to rise with her and they both slowly backed towards the door and exited the room, and Walter gingerly closed the door behind them as Paige ended her song.

They both glanced at each other and walked back to the main area.

“That was amazing… how did you manage to do that?”, Walter asked as they settled in on the sofa.

Paige shrugged.

“It was my favorite song before I got pregnant and I always used to sing it to Ralph when he was a baby to calm him down, and I just kept singing it whenever he needed me to. It works every time…”, she replied.

“I had no clue you could sing…”, Walter murmured, images of Paige singing in a recurring dream he had been having floating to the to the front of his mind.

“Before I dropped out, I was going to apply for an interview to get into the education program with my focus being on vocal and choral music, but you see where that went…”, she replied with a shrug, “I kind of want to go back to school, but not for music or education…”

“That’s good… what would you major in?”, Walter asked.

“I don’t know.”, Paige replied, “Probably in English or business…”

“Those seem like valuable pursuits, especially since you’re an interpreter and liaison.”, Walter replied.

“Whatever happened to ‘the only four things worth studying are math and science and science and math’?”, Paige asked jokingly, referring to what he had told her during one of their cases.

Walter shrugged.

“I reevaluated and decided that all the disciplines have valuable contributions to society.”, he replied.

Paige nodded.

They sat in comfortable silence and Paige rested her head on Walter’s shoulder.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes until Paige stretched and yawned.

“I should be getting to bed…It’s getting late and we’ve had a long day…”, she said and stood up, “I’m going to take a shower, okay?”

“That’s fine. I’ll just finish up some paperwork that I left out downstairs…”, Walter said and left the loft.

He hummed the song that Paige had been singing to Ralph as he signed off on various Homeland forms and other papers for the _Vecchio Ordine_. His desk was clean and organized in no time and he still heard the shower running so he decided to clear a space for Megan’s desk to go, after all, she would be a useful addition to the team and she was already the legal successor to his spot as coven leader.

As he placed her desk strategically near his desk and Sylvester’s, his mind wandered to Megan and Sylvester.

They were in love, that much was clear, but would they work well and live well together?

He shrugged, figuring that only time would tell.

Walter was soon locking the doors and windows, turning off the downstairs lights, and locking the loft door behind himself. 

The shower had turned off a few minutes ago and so he figured that Paige was done by now. He rounded the corner to knock on the bedroom door when he froze.

Paige hadn’t shut the door tight and it had drifted open and he was now looking into a full length mirror, staring right at the reflection of Paige’s bare back as she combed her damp hair in the bathroom mirror and hummed a little song to herself.

She was oblivious to his presence and perhaps that was for the best.

At least she was wearing panties and wasn’t completely naked, but Walter was enjoying the view of her bare skin too much, so he tore his eyes away just as she lifted her arms to stretch and walked quickly back towards the kitchen area, ashamed of himself for invading her privacy like that.

He splashed cold water on his face and vaguely registered the sound of her hairdryer but he was too distracted to hear Paige approaching, so he jumped when she tapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh I’m sorry, I thought you could hear me…”, She said.

His eyes swept up and down her body when he caught his bearings a split second later.

She was wearing an oversized grey t shirt and a pair of slate colored, loose-fitting workout capris, her hair hung in soft loose curls and she tilted her head to the side ever so slightly.

“Do you have to take a shower?”, she asked.

“Y-yeah that would be the most logical thing to do right now, excuse me.”, He replied and awkwardly hurried past her and into his bedroom, quickly grabbing his clothes and closing the bathroom door tightly behind himself.

“Hey, I’m just going to read for a little while until you’re done in there, okay?”, Paige called to him and he heard the bedsprings creak as she laid down.

“Yeah, go right ahead.”

He stepped into the shower and turned on the cold water, letting the icy water rush over his body before he gradually turned on the hot water until it was lukewarm.

He washed off quickly and stepped out of the shower, glancing down and smirking as he saw one of the wet footprints that Paige had left on the floor by accident as he toweled off.

She was always there to remind him of her presence in some way.

He brushed a hand over his jaw after dressing and figured that he could just shave tomorrow morning. He toweled the water out of his curly hair and let it bounce back into place before extending his fangs and brushing his teeth.

 _“I should really explain the added hygiene that goes into being a vampire to Ralph and Megan…”_ , he thought to himself and then opened the door and saw Paige curled up under the sheets, reading a book called _Outlander_ , and added to his thoughts, _“I should probably let Paige know too, since she wants to become a vampire.”_

Just then, Paige looked up and smiled.

“I already turned off the lights out there…”, she murmured, patting the bed, “Which half do you usually sleep on?”, she asked, marking her place in her book and sitting it on his nightstand next to his well-worn copy of _A Brief History of Time_.

“Uh, I usually sleep right in the middle because I’ve never really shared a bed with anyone…”, he replied awkwardly.

“Oh, okay then…I usually favor the right side”

“Then I’ll gladly take the left.”, he added quickly, lying down on the left side above the sheets and blankets.

“You sure you’re not going to get cold like that?”, she asked, and fluffed up the pillow behind her head.

Walter felt his face get hot and he crawled under the covers with a murmured, “Good point.”

“Well, goodnight Walter.”, Paige said and turned off the light, plunging them into near darkness, the faint orange light from the streetlamp outside just barely providing enough light to see by with his normal eyesight.

He faced away from Paige for what felt like hours until he got tired of staring at the bathroom door and turned over, only to come face to face with Paige and her wide brown eyes.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now.”, he whispered.

“I thought you _were_ asleep…it’s so hard to tell with your breathing so spaced out like that…”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

They stared at each other for a few moments and then Paige leaned over, gently pressing her lips to Walter’s.

 “What was that for?”, he murmured.

“Oh, no reason, I just felt like it…”, Paige murmured, scooting closer to Walter.

Walter wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close.

Paige laid down with her head on his pillow and they gazed into each other’s eyes for a second before slowly coming together and kissing. It wasn’t wild and frenzied like their first kisses had been, rather slow and heated.

Where their previous kiss had been a power surge in the midst of a lightning storm, it was now like a slow burning flame, consuming them from the inside out.

Walter rolled Paige onto her back and her shirt rode up just far enough for her stomach to be exposed. She shivered when he ran a hand over her bare skin before arcing reflexively into his touch.

“Paige...”, Walter murmured between kisses, “Tell me what you want…”

“Walter… maybe we should stop…I-It’s been years since my last time… ten to be exact…”, she whispered, kissing his shoulder.

“Okay.”, he murmured and rolled off of her, “I think things are going just a little too quickly…”

“I agree.”, she added, placing her head next to his on the pillow and yawned, “We’ll get there some day…”

Walter noticed her exhaustion, he could smell it breaking through her arousal and he kissed her forehead before pulling the blanket back over top of them.

“Get some rest.”, He murmured and Paige was out before he knew it.

He watched her sleep and brushed a hand gently through her hair before drifting off too, subconsciously pulling her closer in his sleep.

As Paige and Walter slept, Ralph’s eyes opened and he coughed a bit before getting to his feet and leaving his room to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator in Walter’s kitchen.

He opened the refrigerator and a sweet, earthy scent enveloped him.

One of Walter’s blood bags had sprung a leak and was dripping slowly.

Ralph grabbed a bottle of water and gazed at the dripping blood.

His mother had always told him that _“Curiosity killed the cat.”_ , and Ralph didn’t want to make Walter mad, but he was overwhelmed and reached forward to collect a drop of blood on his index finger and studied it carefully.

The cat had been well and truly killed now but Ralph recalled the second part of the phrase, _“But satisfaction brought it back.”_ , and so he sighed and licked it off of his fingertip before gasping as he felt his vision changing, making the shadows of the darkened loft into brighter areas where he could see.

Ralph closed the refrigerator door and took his water bottle into the bathroom with him where he turned on the light and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

For the first time in his life, Ralph felt changed and as he stared at himself, he knew now, more than ever, that he was truly different.

His venom may not be able to kill a garden slug yet, but there was no mistaking those scarlet red eyes that looked so much like Walter’s it was scary.

Ralph sighed.

He was on his way and there was no turning back now.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Paige was singing is called "Yellow" by Coldplay


	9. Head & Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter closely mirrors "Young Hearts Spark Fire" and I used parts of the script to write it.

Walter woke up to the feel of gentle lips on his forehead and his name whispered in Paige’s soft voice.

“Walter...”

“Hmm?”

He opened his eyes and found Paige smiling contentedly at him from across the pillow.

It was still early in the morning and the sky was just starting to lighten. He looked at the clock and then smiled. They still had a couple of hours to lay in bed and enjoy their time together while they were still alone.

“It’s still early...”, he murmured, not really caring about what time it was as long as she was smiling and well-rested.

“I know.”, she replied, “How did you sleep?”, she asked.

“Mmm...very comfortably...and you?”, Walter replied.

“Like a baby.”, she murmured, pulling the blanket up over her shoulder and leaning in to kiss him softly, smiling against his lips.

 Walter wrapped his arm around her and placed his hand in the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. One of her hands came up to brush along his jawbone and her thumb lingered at one of his scars and she pulled back.

“Is something wrong?”, he asked as she studied his face carefully.

“I’ve always wondered how you got your scars...”, she whispered, “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to...”

“No no, it’s fine...”, he replied, “It was an animal attack...”

“How did that happen?”

“Well, I was going hunting shortly after I first arrived in California when it happened. This was before the coven, even before I bought this place...anyway, I was up in Washington State in Olympic National Forest, miles away from civilization and I had just come across this gang of elk. One of the elk had been injured and I was tracking it, waiting to make my kill. Turns out that I wasn’t the only thing hunting up in those woods, but I was too hungry and too foolish to sense it or care about it. There was a mountain lion there and we both went for the same elk. Its claws grazed my face and cut me up a bit, but by some stroke of luck, it missed my important facial features. Some of the smaller cuts healed instantly but the larger ones were bleeding profusely...”

“What happened to the mountain lion?”, Paige asked.

“I snapped its neck first, killed and drained the elk, and then drained the lion. I was bleeding quite a bit, so I found a stream nearby that had a low chance of being polluted, cleaned myself off, patched myself up as best as I could with butterfly bandages from my first aid kit, and waited for my venom to close my wounds. They healed up fine but they left these scars. Megan used to tease me about them and said I should get some scar gel to use on them, but I never cared enough about them to do anything, it didn’t matter if they were there or not, they wouldn’t affect my work and they were flat enough to avoid while shaving.”, Walter shrugged as he finished recalling his story, before adding quickly, “But I can still get the scar gel and see if that works at all, if that would make a difference...”

“No, leave them...”, Paige whispered. She brushed her fingertips over them gently and Walter closed his eyes, wanting to melt into her soft touch, “They add originality and personality...I like that...”

She smiled and Walter opened his eyes again. Paige’s breath hitched a little at the way he looked at her.

She had never expected a man who claimed to have no emotions to be able to look at her in a way that made her feel so  _loved_. 

She kissed him and he pulled her impossibly closer, feeling every curve of her soft body against his through their clothing, running his hand down her spine to her hips, groaning softly as she wrapped her right leg around his left leg and used that leverage to press her pelvis to his. 

She hummed at his hardness, a part of her mind sighing with relief at the fact that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, even if their relationship was still new and a bit hazy, and even if, by society’s standards, they were moving quickly. 

Paige pushed those thoughts aside and deepened their kiss, smiling as Walter’s hand tightened in response on her hip before he rolled her gently so she was underneath him. She let out a soft moan before wrapping her legs around his hips and pulling him close, the fingers of one of her hands curling into his shoulder, the other hand running through his hair. 

He was getting high off of her scent, wanting so badly for her to be able to sense and respond to him. She was precisely what he wanted, what he needed, and the irrational voice in his mind was begging for more while his rational mind was yelling at him to stop before he got too ahead of himself and did something irreversible to ruin this blossoming relationship.

When they finally came up for air, Paige shivered a little and Walter brought the blankets up around them before gazing into her beautiful coffee colored eyes and how she practically glowed in the morning light.

He had never noticed how she had a light dusting of barely noticeable freckles over her nose, a tiny beauty mark near her collarbone, acne scars, fading dark circles beneath her eyes, or tiny laugh lines near her eyes. All of those things were covered by clothing or by makeup and now that he could see them, he felt like he had unearthed something sacred as well as a reminder of the fact that Paige was human, that even though she had given birth to a vampire and wanted to be one, her current state was fragile. 

She was fragile.

Paige’s life could be cut short at any time, her spark of life extinguished with a single blow. His could not be taken so easily because vampires by nature have never been creatures known for going down without a fight.

He couldn’t imagine losing her, so he kissed her again, his hands roving over her body, committing every inch of her that he was allowed to touch to memory as only he could before pulling back again and gazing at her face to commit her natural beauty to memory as well. 

He was about to tell her how beautiful she was when Paige’s eyes suddenly became unfocused and she made a funny expression that signaled to Water that she was about to sneeze. 

Walter rolled so that he was on the right side of the bed and she was on the left and she sneezed into her elbow.

“Bless you.”, he murmured as she sniffed a couple times.

“Thanks...I’m sorry I ruined the moment...”, she replied, laying back down and placing her head on Walter’s chest.

“You’re fine...”, Walter murmured, “I a-actually wanted to ask you about our relationship...”

“Oh...”, Paige replied, “I wasn’t quite expecting that, but now that you mention it, I suppose I have a few questions too...”

“Okay...”, Walter said and nodded.

“You first?”, Paige asked.

“Sure, I was wondering where to draw the line in terms of the, well, physical aspect of our relationship.”, Walter replied, “I mean, what sorts of things would you see as acceptable and what things should I avoid?”

“Well, I didn’t mind it too much with you on top of me like that, I actually liked it...we should hold off on taking off our clothes, but you can touch me through my clothes... I never really got into any rough stuff like spanking or hard biting or anything too crazy like that... I guess I’m what you’d call ‘vanilla’, you know, very straightforward in terms of bedroom activities...”

“Yeah, I don’t think spanking sounds like anything I’d ever want to do to you or have done to me, and I’d only bite you if I were turning you...”, Walter replied, frowning at the notion of the former but nodding minutely at the hopeful possibility of the latter, “I agree that keeping our clothes on would be fine and just touching through them would be acceptable, but I’m okay with taking my shirt off...”

“Now that you mention being turned; I think you should hold off on giving me love bites until I’m a vampire. I don’t want you to break the skin accidentally and then, well, drain me...”, Paige added.

“You’re right...”, Walter nodded in reply, “But you can do it to me, I really don’t mind... I have to be really gentle with you because you aren’t as strong as I am and I will admit that my former sexual partners have only been female vampires who could endure more, even if I was uncomfortable with fulfilling their wishes because of how rough they wanted me to be...they weren’t so vanilla, as you put it...”

“Oh, I see...”

“That’s probably why I woke up alone after all my prior sexual activities...”, Walter shrugged, “But you don’t have to worry about contracting any STI’s from me, vampires can’t get them but we can be carriers for them, so most vampires check to make sure that they and their partner are STI-free. All of my previous partners were clean and using hormonal birth control methods bur even then, I always use protection...I’m sorry if that was too much information...”

“No, no... Thanks for telling me about that, I was going to ask you anyway...you shouldn’t have to worry about me, I have only ever been with Drew a few times before and after Ralph was born and he’s been the only person I’ve ever been with. I was clean when I was with Drew and I’m clean now...I’m on the birth control shot, so I should be covered for three months.”

“Good to know...”, Walter replied, “Though it can’t hurt to double up a barrier with a hormonal form of contraception...”

“True...”, Paige replied.

She cuddled into his body and listened to his heartbeat, slow and steady with the gradual rise and fall of his chest. He was so calming.

“What are you thinking of?”, Walter asked, enjoying the feel of her weight resting on him as she drew invisible patterns on his chest with her fingertips.  

“It’s funny you should ask that because I was actually wondering what you were thinking of...”, she stated after a moment.

“What do you mean?”

“I was wondering what fantasies you have...what sort of things get you going...”, Paige said tentatively, looking up to gauge his reaction. 

Walter’s face got hot as he remembered some of his more vivid fantasies, inappropriate visions of Paige coming to mind even as he silently chastised himself for thinking of her like that.

“Oh, uh...I guess I like it when you wear dark red... It looks good on you...”, he murmured, recalling that time when she had tried to teach him how to flirt, how that red blouse and short black skirt had teased him for ages and kept him up at night on the sofa.

“I like how you always have your sleeves rolled up...”, she murmured, recalling all those days she had watched him working on some delicate machinery or how the muscles in his forearms had teased her about what sort of physique he kept hidden under all his dress shirts. 

“I liked dancing with you, even if I’m not the greatest partner.”. Walter replied, remembering how she looked that night for the mission, how jealous he got of that other man when Paige went to dance with him, and how Hetty and Dr. Davis had both seen right through Walter’s masked attempts at getting close to Paige and through his denial about his feelings for Paige.

“You’re a good dancer too, don’t sell yourself short.”, she whispered in response.

“Uh, I like it when you run your fingers through my hair.”, he replied, imagining himself doing wicked things to her body with his mouth and hands and how her slender fingers would grip his curly locks as she cried out his name in pleasure. He wondered vaguely if she really sounded like she did in his fantasies. 

He felt her shiver a little, chalking it up to his lower body temperature, not realizing that it was because of the husky tone he had spoken in nor did he realize that those were the chills that she got whenever his voice deepened and became darker in timbre.

He didn’t complain when Paige straddled his hips and brought her lips to his ear.

 “I love hearing your voice in my ear...”, she whispered, her lips brushing the shell, her tongue darting out to tease him.

Memories of the time when he had kissed Sima for the mission came floating back to him. He had imagined Paige in her place (even though he had a feeling that Paige would be a much better kisser than Sima was, and he had been very right about that), even making a mistake and telling Paige how much he loved hearing her voice in his ear. He had thought for sure that he had blown the whole operation in that moment, but Sima had been none the wiser. 

“Ditto.”, he whispered, “I like it when you grind on me...”

“I love it when your eyes turn red.”, she moaned softly as she fulfilled his wishes, one of his hands slowly running down the side of her body as the other hand came to rest on her backside, keeping her in place.

Walter made a noise of approval in the back of his throat, his scarlet eyes staring into her brown eyes as they came up for air. 

Paige felt a chill go down her spine followed by heat rushing south and she didn’t know if Walter was doing it to tease her, but he licked his lips and his tongue grazed one of his fangs as it darted back into his mouth. 

She wanted them to forget their rules and forget about keeping their clothes on. She hadn’t had any man look at her like this in ten long years and it was driving her insane. She had seen how skilled his fingers were when they were flying across a keyboard or repairing some highly sensitive pieces of hardware.

 _“Dammit Paige, pull yourself together...”_ , her conscience chastised in her head as she imagined Walter putting those skilled hands of his to work on her body.

Walter could feel Paige heating up, could see her blush spreading as she bit her lip, color blooming across her skin and down her décolletage and disappearing beneath her shirt as she kept moving her hips. He wondered how amazing she would feel against him if there was nothing separating them and wondered how far her blush could spread.

He leaned in and retracted his fangs before capturing her lower lip between his, a wave of self-satisfaction passing through him as Paige moaned into the kiss.

They had to come up for air soon and then the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

“You know, the venom magnifies what is already physically present...with that said...”, he paused to kiss her and pulled back so she could see how sincere he was, “you’re going to be such a beautiful vampire.”    

Paige blushed deeper as she ran her hands across his torso and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you.”, she murmured, sinking against him like she had done the day before on the sofa, “I can’t wait to become one...”

Walter let his fingers thread through her hair and Paige cuddled closer to him.

They laid in comfortable silence for a long time, basking in how perfect the moment felt.

“I like waking up with you.”, Walter whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I do too.”, she whispered.

“We should make a habit out of it.”, Walter replied, “Only if you want to though...”, he added.

“I wouldn’t mind it at all...You’ve made real progress and I’m proud of you...”, Paige replied.

“Who knew that I would become so tactile so quickly?”, he murmured rhetorically.

“I did.”, Paige replied anyway and gazed at him with her palms resting gently on either side of his jaw, her thumbs grazing over his cheeks before she leaned in and kissed him chastely.

“I always pegged you to be a quick study, Walter O’Brien...”, she murmured, her gaze and her tone of voice, the way his name fell from her lips, all of her drawing him in like a moth to a flame, “It seems I wasn’t too wrong in my assumption...”, she finished, her lips curving upward into a smile.

“Ah...”, was all he was reduced to saying and, for once in his life, he felt like an absolute idiot.

A very happy idiot.  

He felt as though he was the happiest vampire in all of Los Angeles, even if there was no real way to measure happiness and if there was statistically bound to be at least a few vampires who were happier than he was in the area.

 They laid there for what seemed like an eternity until Paige looked at the clock and began untangling herself from their mess of limbs and stretching.

“You don’t have to go...”, Walter murmured, catching her hand and rubbing the back of it with his thumb as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and went to stand.

Paige smiled and blushed.

“That’s sweet, but I actually have to use the bathroom...besides, we don’t have long before Ralph wakes up...”, she replied, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

“Oh, right, I’m sorry...c-carry on.”, Walter replied, releasing her hand.

Walter laid there for a second, missing Paige’s warmth and then sighed, rising from his side of the bed and puttering out into the main loft to put on some coffee.

The coffee was brewing when Walter passed his refrigerator and then stopped, smelling deer blood in the area.

He opened the refrigerator and swore softly when he saw that one of his blood bags was leaking. 

He started cleaning up the mess and then he heard the sound of Ralph’s footsteps behind him.

“Good morning Ralph, can I get you something to eat?”, Walter asked, glancing back at the boy before pulling the still oozing blood bag out of the refrigerator and putting it in the sink when he realized that he had forgotten to put a bag in his trashcan last night after dinner.

“Walter?”, Ralph asked in a small voice as the genius in question poured two cups of the cinnamon flavored coffee that Paige loved so much.

Walter looked up and noticed that the boy wasn’t meeting his gaze, that he was ashamed of something. 

“What is it buddy? What’s wrong?”, he asked, immediately refocusing his attention onto Ralph.

Ralph just stared at the floor.

“I’m sorry...”, he muttered, scuffing his foot on the floor just like his mother did whenever she was upset.

“For what?”, Walter asked and then Ralph looked up at him with scarlet eyes.

“I tried it... I woke up last night for some water and I saw it leaking and I tried it, just to see what it would be like...I’m sorry Walter...”, Ralph replied, guilt radiating off of him in waves, “I should have waited and asked for permission first...”

 “Oh...”, Walter said, crouching down to Ralph’s level, marveling at the boy’s first major vampire milestone, “I forgive you, but you’re right, you should have asked your mother and I first before trying blood.”

“But why are my eyes still red?”, Ralph asked, “Shouldn’t they change back?”

“Well, your first taste of blood usually results in your eyes changing color for the first time, and sometimes it takes a while to have them change back, but you and I both know we don’t have time for that, so I’ll tell you how I got my eyes to change back, and when you get used to changing, you won’t have to use this trick anymore.”

Ralph nodded and Walter blinked, his eyes turning for the sake of the demonstration.

“Okay, you see how all the colors are different? You see how they’re brighter?”

Ralph nodded.

“Now focus on them and close your eyes. Try to picture them darker.”, Walter instructed, watching as Ralph obeyed, “Can you see those darker colors in your mind?”

“Yeah...sort of...”

“Good, now open your eyes.”, Walter instructed.

Ralph opened his eyes and blinked. 

“They’re still red...”

“Try it again...”, Walter suggested.

“But I thought that you said that doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results was the definition of insanity?”

“Well, Einstein said it first. He wasn’t as smart as we are.”, Walter stated, watching Ralph try again with no success.

“Maybe we should try using another famous quote like, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.’”, Ralph suggested, “That’s from William Edward Hickson, who still isn’t nearly as smart as we are...”

“Or maybe you should try this old adage out, ‘The truth shall set you free’.”, came Paige’s voice from behind them.

Walter straightened up and turned around to find Paige standing in the doorway in her bathrobe with a slight smile on her lips. Ralph turned around slowly, not looking up at his mom.

“John 8:32?”, Walter asked, handing a mug of coffee to Paige. 

“Not bad.”, Paige replied, accepting the mug, “Didn’t know you were religious...”

“Oh, I’m not, my parents are religious and I’m pretty sure Megan still is in some way, but we were both raised Catholic and went to church every Sunday until Megan got sick, then the pastor started coming to the house... I found church boring and so I read the Bible to pass the time... I think I memorized most of it...”, Walter said and shrugged, “Toby also uses that phrase quite a bit when he’s trying to get us to open up to him for couch time.”

Paige nodded and sat her cup down.

“Ralph, sweetie, let me see your eyes.”, she murmured and crouched down as Ralph looked up.

“I’m sorry mom...”, he replied, then apologized to her too before giving her a hug.

“I knew this day would come...”, she whispered, kissing Ralph on the forehead before looking up at Walter and saying, “Now what? Does he need blood?”

Walter shook his head. 

“Not right away. The cravings don’t really start to be unbearable until their fangs come in...”, Walter replied, “He’ll still feel the bloodthirst, but it won’t be insatiable.”

“Okay...”

“Ralph, how are you feeling now?”, Walter asked, watching the boy try to change his eyes again and feeling sorry for him because it wasn’t working.

“I wouldn’t mind some blood, but I don’t feel like I need it...”, he replied.

“How about some scrambled eggs and toast instead?”, Paige asked.

“Yes please.”, Ralph replied, “The protein from the eggs and complex carbohydrates from the whole wheat toast will provide sufficient energy to help me function during the first part of the day...”

“Sounds great.”, Walter replied, “And buddy, I know you don’t like raw spinach, but if you put it in an omelet with some bacon bits and cheese on top, it doesn’t taste so bad, you also get important vitamins and minerals that way...I’ll make myself one and you can have half of it if you want.”

“Okay Walter...”, Ralph replied with a smile, “I’ll try it.”

“Okay sweetie, go get washed and dressed for the day and I’ll start cooking.”, Paige replied, smiling at Ralph and Walter compiling a brief nutritional analysis to maximize efficiency and meet Ralph’s nutritional goals.

Ralph dashed into his room and closed the door.

“Thank you for that.”, Paige replied, sipping from her coffee again as Walter continued to clean up the blood.

“For what?”, Walter asked, genuinely not sure what Paige was talking about.

“For being there for him...he’s changing and I don’t know how to handle it, but you do and that knowledge you have just provides so much clarity and I-I don’t know what I’d do if I had never met you or the rest of the team... so thank you for being here...”, Paige replied and Walter wrapped her in his arms, still getting used to being so tactile, but being who he is, Walter was already a fast learner, so he was getting the hang of it sooner than he had ever expected. 

“Oh it’s no problem...”

The rest of the morning went off without many surprises. Paige and Walter fixed breakfast together and Walter split his spinach omelet with Ralph before setting the young vampire up with a laptop in his office to begin researching gel electrophoresis. 

Paige ate later and then made the bed while Walter shaved and did the breakfast dishes as Paige dried them and put them away. They both got dressed in shifts and Paige ventured out of the bathroom fully dressed as Walter was selecting a tie to wear that day.

“Here.”, Paige said, tying the tie around his neck and straightening his collar in no time.

“Thanks...”, Walter replied, enjoying the bliss that seemed to come from small domestic acts and moments such as these.

“You’re welcome.”, Paige said with a smile before exiting the bedroom.

 In another half hour, the trio ventured downstairs.

Walter unlocked the garage and made copies of the coven paperwork for his sister to sign while Paige and Ralph helped get Megan’s space set up. 

“Do you think Megan will like working with us?”, Ralph asked.

“I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it. She needs a place to go during the day and she needs a job. Megan is my natural successor, the next in line to be the head of the coven and she’ll need to know what to do if, for some reason, I am unable to lead.”, Walter replied, “Besides, she’ll want to spend her time being as active as possible and we could use her help around here.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a second set of eyes to look over the paperwork.”, Paige added with a shrug.

“We also don’t know if she’s gifted or not and if she is, she could help us find Collins.”, Walter added.

“Oh, okay.”, Ralph replied before returning to the laptop and typing away. He got up to use the bathroom and when he was gone, the garage door opened and Toby walked in.

“Good morning everyone.”, Toby greeted as he walked to his desk but paused before placing his bag down at his desk.

He turned to face Walter and Paige with a look on his face suggesting that he was deep in thought.

“Something is different here, besides the obvious,”, he stated, gesturing to Megan’s desk, “Did anything happen overnight?”, he asked.

“Hi Toby!”, Ralph greeted as he came out of the bathroom.

“Ah ha! That’s what I sensed, the fact that there was a little bit less of a fledgling and a little bit more of a vampire here. You have red eyes... you’ve tried blood...”, Toby said, approaching Ralph, his own eyes turning in the process, “How does it feel?”

“Well, I wish they would go back to normal because the colors are weird, Walter tried to show me how, but it didn’t really work...”, Ralph replied.

“Well, I think you may have to just wait for it to pass.”, Toby sighed as his eyes began fading back to hazel, “That’s how I was during my first time, you’ll get used to it and soon the colors won’t be as strange. Just wait around and you’ll be fine, just maybe hold off on going around people that don’t know about us until it wears off.” 

Ralph nodded and Toby patted him on the shoulder before heading over to Walter.

“Hey boss, got a moment?”, he asked.

“Sure...”, Walter said and they walked out of earshot.

“I’m also sensing a change in the air between you and Miss Dineen. Care to explain that one?”, he asked.

“Uh, no.”, Walter replied in a deadpan, “There’s nothing to explain.”

“That’s bullshit, Walt, and you and I both know it. First you reciprocate for her, then you let her live here, then you start putting cinnamon in the coffee pot here because she likes it that way.”

“Cinnamon contains antioxidants and helps improve brain function.”, Walter replied.

 “Cinnamon is for elves, that’s why I get my Joe from Kovelski’s...”, Toby replied as Walter turned away from him, pretending to look for something among his parts bins, “You have a lavender diffuser in the loft because you know Paige likes the scent, we always have her hand cream stinking up the van...”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at here...”, Walter stated, becoming mildly annoyed.

“Do you or do you not have feelings for Paige?”, Toby asked, “Because I think you do.”

Walter felt his annoyance leaking through and he flashed his eyes in warning at Toby who raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

“Hey, I’m just curious as to why she’s getting special treatment if you  _clearly_ don’t feel anything for her, no need to rip my head off here...”, Toby replied.

“Is it really any of your business?”, Walter asked, “I let Paige and Ralph live here because it isn’t safe for them in their apartment. I have a lavender diffuser in  _my_ apartment because it’s a therapeutic scent and I’m often stressed out, that and Ralph finds it comforting because it’s a scent he links to his mother. I view Paige as a coworker, a liaison, a coven member, she’s just as equal as everyone else is.”

“Right...”

“I’m sorry if the fact that she is living here too gives the appearance of me favoring her, but I’m doing it to make her feel at home... If Happy was living with you, wouldn’t you try to make her feel at home too?”

“You never answered my question.”, Toby said.

“I think I have...I don’t see you answering my question either...”, Walter replied.

“Alright, fine, suit yourself...”, Toby replied with a shrug before adding in a low voice, “I would make Happy feel at home and I would favor her because I do have feelings for her and I have come to grips with them...I answered your question, it’s your turn to answer mine.”

“No”, he answered, hoping that Toby took the hint from the finality in his voice and stopped bothering him about it.

Toby shook his head as he retreated to his desk and picked up a book.

Happy and Cabe arrived next, Happy with new parts for her motorcycle and Cabe with Drew’s DNA samples and a large stack of paperwork for Paige. They all went about their business as Walter helped Ralph set up the gel. 

It was nearing 10:00 AM and Sylvester and Megan had still not shown up to work. 

Walter was beginning to worry about them when all of a sudden the garage door opened up and the pair walked in, hand in hand and smiling.

“Good morning everyone!”, they both said as they walked in and set their bags at their desks. 

All of the vampires perked up at the scent they carried, smelling something faintly along the lines of white and green tea and citrus with an almost clean finish. Walter also took note of how they practically moved in sync and how they both walked with their shoulders a little straighter and their heads held a little higher.

Toby was pretending to be reading his book but was discreetly psychoanalyzing their every move, picking them apart as only he knew how. 

They even dressed in similar outfits. Megan wore a pair of skinny jeans and black converse sneakers with a white V neck tee and her gray cardigan and Sylvester wore jeans, black slip-on sneakers, and a white and black windowpane plaid dress shirt with a gray sweater vest over top.  

It was so strange, especially since their mannerisms were now similar and yet somehow opposite. Where Sylvester would have normally checked to make sure that everything at his desk was perfect, he just ignored it, but Megan immediately began arranging her desk supplies in a specific way before she even sat down.

It was almost as if they had traded characteristics overnight.  

“Thanks for setting things up for me, I really appreciate it.”, Megan said as she placed the last pencil into her pencil can and made sure it was straight as she sat down and then began reading the coven paperwork.

“Walter, can I speak to you for a moment?”, Cabe asked as he gestured over to the makeshift interrogation room beneath the ramp.

Walter nodded and followed the agent into the room, closing the door behind himself.

“What is it?”, Walter asked.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed this yet, but Megan and Sly are acting a bit strange...”

“No, I’ve noticed.”, Walter replied with a shrug, “I just don’t know if I should say anything to them.”

“Their scents have changed significantly...”, Cabe stated.

“I think that might just be the fact that they’re living together, you know, some couples actually start to look like each other and pick up their habits over time, maybe this is a similar thing...”, Walter replied.

“Over time...”, Cabe whispered, “Megan hasn’t even been a vampire for a full twenty-four hours yet... Something happened...”

“They could just be happy together, that could be the scent... the clothing could have been a coincidence, or they could have planned it...”, Walter suggested, not mentioning the mannerisms or characteristics that had been changed or swapped because he had no logical explanation for that, “What do you think happened?”

Cabe sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

“I don’t think you want to know what I think happened between those two...”, Cabe replied.

It took a second for the older agent’s words to sink in, but when they did, Walter shook his head.

“No. No way.”, Walter began, laughing nervously like he did whenever he was faced with an uncomfortable scenario before crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the table.

When Walter saw that Cabe was serious, he sighed and shook his head.

“Oh come on, you can’t honestly think that Megan,  _my sister_ , and Sylvester are bonded mates now...”, Walter replied.

Cabe raised his eyebrows.

“You saw the proof, kid, we all did.”, he replied, “It’s definitely not impossible.”

Walter deflated, uncrossing his arms and scoffing at Cabe’s response.

“Be real, Cabe. This is Sylvester and Megan we’re talking about...”

“I am. Sylvester would do anything for Megan, I can tell, and Megan would do the same for Sylvester...”

“I know that, but it’s... _them_...”, Walter began, “They just moved in with each other, Megan just became a vampire--”

“And your world feels like it’s being flipped upside down?”, Cabe asked.

“Yes!”, Walter replied, “Things are happening so quickly... I-I just want things to slow down a little so I can catch my breath and process the information...”

Cabe clapped Walter on the shoulder.

“I understand, but this is life, son. It doesn’t always go your pace, you have to take it as it comes.”, he replied, “Look, I know that thinking about your sister and Sylvester as more than just roommates and a couple is a pretty difficult thing to imagine, but I understand why they wouldn’t want to waste time together. Just yesterday, you almost lost your sister, and I know that’s rough, but just imagine how Sylvester felt yesterday, almost losing the woman he loves. Try to put yourself in his position. Imagine if it was Paige in Megan’s situation. With that scenario in mind, can you honestly say that you wouldn’t want to make the most of your second chance with Paige?”

Walter tried to think of how he would have reacted in that situation. What would he have done if Paige had been practically on her deathbed when he met her and then her health got worse as they were dating? It would have made it practically impossible for them to do things that a normal couple could do, like go on dates, dance, and be physically romantic. How different would they be? What if Paige had been manipulated to kill herself and then he had changed her, thus saving her life? Would they have moved quickly as well?

Knowing Paige, he was sure that he would have done the same thing. 

“No. I would probably do the same thing.”, Walter conceded.

“Then isn’t it a bit unfair of you to condemn their bond?”, Cabe asked.

“Yes, when you put it like that it is.”, Walter replied, looking at his feet before adding, “But in my defense, we don’t even know if they’re bonded mates.”

Cabe nodded. 

“This is true.”, Cabe replied before his phone started going off.

“Homeland?”, Walter asked.

“Yeah, gotta take this...”, Cabe replied and Walter left the room as Cabe answered his phone.

For a moment he just stood by the door and watched his coven work and interact. 

Toby had stopped psychoanalyzing Megan and Sylvester and was now chatting with Happy as she fixed the coffee maker. Happy was chatting back in her usual manner until she straightened up and gave the shrink a rare half smile before elbowing him playfully.

Paige and Megan were sitting next to each other and Paige was showing her where to sign on the coven forms and Megan must have said something funny because both women began laughing. 

Ralph got up and wandered over to Sylvester, who ruffled his hair and then Sylvester’s eyes changed and he pointed to his fangs before talking to him about something concerning his changes.

He walked over and sat down at his desk in the middle of the cyclone and watched as life happened around him. 

Connections were being made, bonds were being formed and friendships were growing stronger. Who was he to put an end to such changes? 

Ralph raced over to his mother and pointed excitedly to his eyes which were now back to normal and Megan got up and walked over to Sylvester, who smiled up at her from his desk.

They looked so happy. If they were mates, Walter had no actual right to comment on, much less condemn their bond. They were both consenting adults who were fully capable of making their own life choices. 

“Alright guys, we got a case, and this one’s a big one.”, Cabe called out to the team as he emerged from the interrogation room.

“What’s up?”, Walter asked.

“We have a rescue mission; we have to locate a group of six hikers lost in Los Angeles National Forest. They’ve been missing for 36 hours... The Santa Ana winds are blowing and making it hard to coordinate rescue missions.”

“I have just the thing...”, Walter replied, typing away rapidly on his laptop, “It’s the modified version of my Baghdad tracking software. It’ll find them in no time by locating their path, taking scans of their shoe prints, and mapping their path...”

“Good, we’ll be leaving in twenty.”, Cabe stated, “We’ll need all hands on deck for this one... I’ll be going to aid with search and rescue after the hikers are located. Walter, you’ll be there to use the software, Toby will be there in case someone gets injured and so he can help figure out if the shoe prints match the hikers, Happy will be there for mechanical support, Sylvester is coming because he can run the analytics faster than anyone, and Paige is coming to translate when we find the hikers...”

“What about me?”, Megan asked, “Where do I fit in?”

“Someone has to stay with Ralph.”, Walter said. 

“Do you really think it’s wise to leave us here alone with Collins out there?”, Megan asked, “He knows where you live...”

“Ah, but thanks to your quick thinking and good aim, he’s injured. He won’t be playing any mind games any time too soon, all his energy is going to be focused on the healing process and regaining his sight.”, Toby said. 

Ralph walked over to Megan and tugged on her sleeve, causing her to look down. 

“We’ll be fine here...I can activate the security system when the team leaves and we can use comms to talk with them during the mission.”, Ralph said, “Besides, human-fed newborns are the strongest types of vampires...”

“I can post an agent or two at the garage until we get back if it’ll make you feel any safer.”, Cabe said and Paige nodded.

“That sounds good to me...”, the young mother replied as she crouched down and planted a kiss on Ralph’s cheek, “I’ll be back soon...”

“I’ll see you in no time.”, Sylvester kissed Megan chastely on the lips.

“Okay, be careful out there.”, Megan murmured, patting his cheek affectionately.

Soon the team was on their way to Los Angeles National Forest. 

“So you kids are going up in a helicopter and from there you can take scans of the forest floor and hopefully find the hikers...”, Cabe explained as they drove through the forest.

“Oh no. I’m not going up in a helicopter...Not in these winds...”, Sylvester stated.

“I’m afraid there’s no other way to do this, Sly, you’ll just have to get over your fear...”, Cabe replied a little harshly.

Walter had to feel sorry for his friend but he had to smirk a little when he heard his sister’s voice, so defensive of Sylvester, come through the comms.

“Hey, don’t be so hard on him.”, Megan snapped, and Walter wasn’t there with her, but he could almost smell her indignant attitude.  

 “Sylvester, just remember that we’ll all be there with you and there’s nobody else on this team who can do this, if there were, we’d be bringing them along instead...Just focus on your job and try not to use your peripheral vision...”, Paige replied kindly.

“I’ll try...I’ll do it for the hikers...”, Sylvester resolved, and Megan told him how proud she was that he would conquer his fear so selflessly and he replied with a nervous laugh, “Oh it’s not conquered...just being dealt with...”

“I’m still proud of you.”, Megan replied.

A few minutes later (and with some more convincing), the team was on the helicopter and flying over the forest.

Paige and Sylvester had been upset when they were told that the comms wouldn’t work out in the forest because the signal would be lost, so the team had said their goodbyes to Megan and Ralph after learning that the agents had arrived to watch the garage, and Toby had taken the SAT phone from Cabe before boarding the small helicopter and beginning their mission.

Soon the team had found the hiker’s tracks and Toby gave an idea at their pattern based on pack instinct and human nature. 

It was all smooth sailing until the Santa Ana winds picked up and tossed the helicopter around like it was made out of paper.

“Brace yourselves, we’re going down!”, Marcus yelled. 

Walter could sense that all of them were terrified, but Paige was the only one he cared about. While Happy was being crushed by Toby, Sylvester was losing his mind and calling out their number of feet until impact, and Marcus was yelling at them to brace for impact, Walter turned to look at Paige, and said,

“Hold on, we’ll all get through this....”

Paige still looked terrified and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her, hold her hand if he could.

“Yeah, you maybe, but you forget, I’m not as strong as you are...”, she replied, tears forming in her eyes.

She was scared, petrified with fear, and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that Walter could do to fix it.

He had never felt so helpless but that moment was all it took to have Walter’s world turned on its head and he swore to himself that if they all survived this, he was changing Paige (granted that he didn’t have to resort to changing Paige because she was mortally wounded as a result of their impending crash).

He would take Paige out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, wine and dine her, maybe even dance a little before taking her home and making sure she was comfortable. Then he would bring Ralph around and change her when she was ready and he wouldn’t leave her side...He would make sure that the first things she saw with her brand new eyes were him and her son.

“We’re aiming right for those trees!”, Marcus exclaimed.

Walter’s thoughts were interrupted by his words and Walter turned and shouted, 

“Aim for the Sheoak, it will break our fall better than the pines!” 

Marcus obeyed and soon they had hit the tree and were all alive, but the scent of blood penetrated the air and Marcus groaned.

“Marcus, are you hurt?”, Toby asked.

“Ah, I could be better...”

“What do you see?”

“Uh, I have a puncture wound, the metal is still in it,”, he began, “uh there’s bright red blood on the outer left side of the thigh...”

Toby swore under his breath and replied.

“You nicked your femoral artery but it seems to have clotted over and stabilized a little bit.”

“How would you know that?”, Marcus asked.

“If it hadn’t clotted, you’d be dead right now, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You’re gonna have to tie a tourniquet and leave that metal in so that the wound doesn’t expand any more. I’ll clean you up when we’re on the ground...”, Toby replied.

“Here, use this...”, Walter said and pulled off his tie, handing it to the pilot.

“Thanks.”

The helicopter pitched sharply and the branches creaked ominously beneath them as Marcus tied the tourniquet.

“We need to get out of this tree and fast...Sly, I need you to run some numbers for me.”, Walter stated.

“Already on it.”, Sylvester replied, “Okay, based on the angle of the tree and the weight distribution, uh, estimated by the barycenter balancing point, as well as the relatively weak tensile strength of the River Sheoak, which is really no more than a weed-”

“Focus.”, Walter reminded him.

“Okay, Bottom line is we need to remove the weight strategically, or we're all going to topple over-- like Don't Tip the Waiter.”

“Alright, everyone cut your seat belts off.”, Walter instructed.

“So, best guess is Happy, then me, then Toby, then Marcus needs to take some weight off the nose, then Walter, and then lastly Paige, because the weight displacement in the cabin is less.”, Sylvester continued.

“Happy, make it happen.”, Walter stated.

“I’m on it.”, the mechanical prodigy replied, her voice stoic, reflecting her focus as she fashioned harnesses out of their seat belts and rope.

 “Okay, I’m going.”, Happy said and rappelled out, touching the ground in no time, “Sly, you’re up...”

“I don’t think I can do this.”

“You have to go, now!”, Happy called up, “The branches are breaking even as we speak! The longer you wait; the less time the rest of the team has to rappel out!”

Sylvester made a noise of discomfort before rappelling.

Toby and Marcus went without much hassle, and the second Marcus touched the ground, the support branches began creaking and Walter whipped back to look at Paige.

“You need to go now.”

“But Sylvester said you then me-”, Paige replied.

“I’m aware, but you need to go now...”

“We should listen to Sylvester.”

“Paige, if this thing falls, I have a better chance of surviving than you do, so just go.”

“Okay.”, Paige sighed and began to descend as the team yelled out that it was the wrong order.

“O’Brien, those branches are breaking fast, you better hustle!”, Happy yelled.

Walter rappelled and no sooner had his toes touched the ground than the helicopter came crashing to the ground.

He darted out of the way just in time.

“How’s Marcus?”, Paige asked, “And how are you all holding up?”, she asked, motioning to the blood on Marcus’s leg.

“We’re all fine, but Marcus needs a hospital ASAP.”, Toby replied.

“That’s a good plan in theory but we don’t have comms, our cell phones are useless, and our SAT phone is  _destroyed_.”, Happy spat out.

“Hey, why are you taking a crack at me?”

“You had the SAT phone, you unbuckled your seatbelt and grabbed me instead of focusing on the SAT phone and now we have no way to contact Cabe. We have few resources, and almost no water and no way of getting in contact with Cabe. We are stranded.”, Happy hissed.

“It was instinctive, I was trying to protect you!”, Toby replied as he cleaned up Marcus’s leg.

“Stop fighting.”, Walter said, cutting them off in his no-nonsense coven leader tone, and they ceased immediately, “This arguing will get us nowhere. Now we have to get to Fiddler’s Basin ASAP because we have to assume that Cabe is thinking the same thing as us, and we all know that is the only place we can go where they’ll see us from the air and be able to send an extraction team. We need to find the hikers, and rendezvous there. Happy, Toby, Paige and I will find the hikers. Sly, you and Marcus stay here and see if you can’t try to salvage some parts from the helicopter to make a radio and get in touch with Cabe.”

“Why do I have to stay behind? Shouldn’t Toby stay behind because Marcus is injured?”, Sly asked.

“The only reasons why I’m going with them,”, Toby began as he tightened the tourniquet on Marcus’s leg as the pilot grit his teeth, “is because one of the hikers might be injured, there’s nothing more I can do for Marcus at this moment, you have a photographic memory and we need the map, and also because I can’t salvage parts and make a radio like you can...”

“Now that you’ve cleared that up, could you get going?”, Marcus asked, “The sooner you find those hikers, the sooner we get out of here...” 

“Right, so we’ll be back for you.”, Walter said and then they began walking, following the trail that the hikers took.

“They’re really sticking to that cluster pattern you predicted...”, Walter said to Toby.

“Yeah, I find that almost all of my predictions are correct, speaking of which, your special treatment is showing again.”

“Not now, Toby.”, Walter stated.

“Yes now, Walter.”, the shrink replied, cutting him off, “You knew Sylvester’s calculations were correct, we all did, and by his calculations, Paige was supposed to descend last, but you went last... Care to explain why?”

“Not really.”

“You’re in denial...It’s not just a river in Egypt...”, Toby stated.

“I am not giving Paige any special treatment.”

“Sure you aren’t.”, Toby replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hey can I get some water?”, Paige asked, approaching Walter.

“Sure...you get the agreed upon ration, just like everyone else...”, Walter said, pouring out a cap of water and handing it to her, “We’re all equal here.”

“Thanks?”, Paige replied with her eyebrow raised and tossed back the water, unsure of where Walter’s strange behavior was coming from all of a sudden and she walked away.

When Paige was out of earshot, Toby turned to Walter.

“Wow, you really learned me there boss, you  _clearly_  don’t have  _any_ feelings for her whatsoever...”, Toby stated sarcastically.

“That’s enough.”, Walter snapped. 

“Okay, we have a problem. We lost the trail...”, Happy stated.

“Well, you guys are vampires, can’t you just sniff them out?”, Paige asked.

“We’re vampires, not bloodhounds...”, Happy replied.

 “Well, technically we are-”, Toby added but Happy cut him off.

“But you all know what I mean. We can’t scent track in this wind...It’s too strong...”

 “Shh shh...”, Paige shushed, “They’re this way.”, she pointed.

“How can you tell?”, Walter asked.

“Oh, it’s very scientific...I heard them...”, Paige replied, cutting through some dry brush.

“How could you hear them and not us?”, Happy asked.

“Our ears are tuned to the sound of the wind through the branches, listening for falling things and twigs breaking, that’s what we automatically focus on as predators. Paige can drown those noises out easier and she probably has super mom hearing which is just perfectly tuned in to listen for the voices of younger kids, like the ones in the group of hikers...”, Toby explained as they entered the clearing where the six hikers were.

“Oh thank God you found us...”, One of the hikers said as she came rushing forward to hug Walter, who stiffened up instantly at the contact.

“Are you with the forestry service?”, one hiker asked.

“No, we’re government contractors, we’re going to hike to a spot where we’ll be rescued and we’re gonna get you guys home.”, Walter replied.

The rest of the coven immediately began looking over the hikers. Toby checked them for injuries and found that the youngest hiker, Caitlyn, was injured and that walking would be difficult for her, so he lifted her into his arms instead. 

Happy looked over the second youngest kid, Jimmy.

“Alright, you’re good... here let me get your bag for you,”, she said and then made a noise of discomfort when she lifted his bag, “What are you carrying? What is this?”

“I collect rocks. These have boracite in them. I'm bringing them home with me.”, Jimmy replied.

“Not anymore you're not.”, Walter added, “We're hiking for miles-- no extra weight.”, then he saw the look Jimmy was giving him as well as the one Paige was giving him and conceded, “Okay, one rock...”

“I’ll carry it...”, Jimmy said as he emptied out his bag and Happy nodded curtly.

Soon everyone was ready to move.    

“Okay we need to head that way,”, Walter pointed and then paused as a new scent washed over the group.

The vampires were the first to notice.

“Uh you smell that?”, Happy asked, worry evident in her voice.

“Smells like smoke...”, Walter said and then looked behind them at the trees and saw embers floating towards them on the breezes.

“Oh my Gosh, Diego, the forest is on fire!”, Jenna, one of the hikers, cried out.

“Watch out!”, Walter exclaimed and pulled Paige towards his body and out of the way before she could get singed by a larger ember, not noticing that she had curled a hand around the lapel of his jacket, but her reaction hadn’t been lost on Toby, “We need to get to the extraction point now!”

“This brush can ignite like that.”, Happy said, snapping her fingers to prove her point, “By my calculations, we have about ten minutes until we’re toast!”

With that, the group took off running,  

“What about Marcus and Sylvester?”, Paige called as she ran through the brush, keeping a pretty decent pace with the rest of the group (who couldn’t run at their faster speeds because all the hikers were normals and there were too many of them to carry), “We can’t just leave them back there, what if they don’t know about the fire?”

“The fire is moving away from their location, so unless the winds change suddenly, they should be fine...”

“What if it started near them though?”

“Then we have to just hope that they’ll be okay, we have to get these hikers to safety.”

No sooner had those words left Walter’s mouth than they stopped short, looking over a large crack in the earth that was about fifty feet deep and too wide to simply jump across.

“We have to find a way across or we’re all dead!”, Happy shouted.

“Maybe we can find a place to cross that isn’t as wide.”, Diego suggested before trying to walk off.

Happy grabbed him by the loop of his backpack and dragged him back.

“Are you crazy? If that wind picks up and you’re too far away, you’ll get surrounded and then you’ll be dead!”, she hissed.

Walter immediately began looking for a way to cross and he spotted a vine hanging from a tree.

“We could lash some branches together and use them like a bridge.”, another hiker named Pete suggested.

“No time.”, Happy replied.

“We can use those vines to swing across.”, said Jenna, “They’re hanging from that branch...”

“It’s a good theory, anyone want to test it?”, Toby asked.

“That branch could be rotted,”, Happy began but was cut off by Walter swinging out and across the chasm before landing safely on the other side.

“You should be fine!”, Walter called. 

The rest of the group swung across to safety and kept moving.

Walter learned that Pete was the reason why they were lost in the first place, he had gone off the path to find the perfect place to propose to Jenna and they had gotten lost.

Walter shook his head. He had heard that love made people do crazy things, but he had never expected that those things could endanger so many people’s lives.

 “Oh, this is not good.”, Happy stated as they reached the clearing where they were completely surrounded by the fire, “We can’t reach the extraction point, and we’re in a valley with fire everywhere...”

“We’re all dead!”, Caitlyn wailed in desolation.

“Shush!”, Walter yelled and he listened for the sound of whirring blades, “I hear a helicopter, everyone, use your flashlights to signal, yell as loud as you can!”

 The entire group was helplessly signaling to the helicopter but they couldn’t see them.

The flames grew nearer and Paige and the rest of the normals began to cough.

“Here, soak some rags in water, use them to cover your nose and mouth to prevent smoke inhalation.”, Toby instructed and Paige ripped up her scarf for them to use.

“They still can’t see or hear us...”, Happy stated.

Walter looked at Paige and grasped her hand.

“Paige I-”

“Please, this isn’t it, we’ll find a way to signal them...”, Paige whimpered, “I have to get back to Ralph...”

Then Walter got an idea.

“Signal...hey, Pete, I need that ring, Jimmy, I need the rock,”, Walter said to the two hikers who had the necessary materials.

Jenna just looked at Pete as he handed over the ring and Jimmy quickly gave Walter his rock.

“Now there is white gold and Boron here, both of them will go up in a plume of green smoke when melted together. These fires are hot enough to melt them. We use the smoke as our signal!”, Walter called out as he used a piece of Paige’s scarf to keep them together before flinging them into the fire nearby.

Soon the green smoke was rising and the transport helicopter was landing nearby, but it didn’t look like they were going to be saved in time, so Walter saw Toby pulling Happy aside and saying something to her before the rescuers came and sprayed the fire down, cutting Toby off mid-sentence. 

Walter made sure that the hikers and the coven was on board before shouting at Cabe that they had to wait for Sly...

For a few seconds, time stood still. 

Walter couldn’t leave his best friend to die out here.

They waited for as long as they could and were about to leave when Sylvester came charging through the fire, carrying Marcus, and Walter let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. 

Soon they were strapped in and rising above the smoke and the flames to safety.

 When they landed, they all got hooked up with oxygen masks, checked for injuries and shock and Marcus was taken away by the paramedics.

Paige gave her ring to Pete, telling him it was just a piece of costume jewelry, but that it should do the job just fine, and Pete smiled and thanked her before walking over to where Jenna sat and kneeling down. 

Walter smiled a little as Jenna nodded and kissed Pete before he slid the ring on her finger.

The rescue party had brought food out to the makeshift treatment site, so they had eaten there before submitting quick statements for Homeland’s records and departing.

The ride back to the garage was pretty silent, but unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Paige and Walter were in the furthest row back, leaning against one another, just thankful to be alive.

When they arrived at the garage, the two agents looked up from their spot inside the door and Cabe flashed his badge at them as they stood down and left after being thanked for their services. Paige was hugged by Ralph and Megan flew into Sylvester’s arms.

“Sly, you’re covered in blood and soot...what happened out there?”, she asked, looking him over for injuries.

Sylvester began retelling the story to Megan as he experienced it and Walter couldn’t help but marvel at his friend’s bravery. 

He had been there when the fire started and had carried Marcus to safety, hidden in a pipe and used the titanium helicopter door to seal themselves in and protect themselves from the fire before bravely trudging on and running to safety.

Walter wanted to ask Sylvester and Megan about their bond but Sylvester was too exhausted to talk so they decided to leave early and Cabe gave them a lift back to their apartment. Soon Happy and Toby decided that they should head home and get some well-deserved showers and sleep.

The garage was dark once more and Ralph had been tucked into bed by Paige, who had still been covered in soot and ash. Paige was taking her shower and Walter was drying off his hair in a towel after his shower as he contemplated Toby’s words from earlier.

Why was he so opposed to the team knowing about him and Paige? Cabe knew he had feelings for Paige, but he had no clue just how serious they had become. Was it because he had stated how workplace relationships were inappropriate and now he was being a hypocrite and couldn’t get over his pride enough to admit that he and Paige were together?

He didn’t know. 

All he knew was that he was so grateful that they had all survived and he needed to talk to Paige about his plans to change her and then hopefully run them by Ralph. 

He closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa with a sigh, closing his eyes and letting his mind wander to thoughts of Paige with scarlet eyes and pearl white fangs, teasing him in a dark red satin lingerie dress, giving him this playful, yet dangerous, _‘come hither’_ look as she stretched out on his bed.

He grinned and then he felt her approach him from behind and slide her hands across his shoulders, working out the knots, massaging his shoulders and neck as he groaned and lazily opened his eyes.

“Hey...”, he whispered as he looked up into her pretty brown eyes.

“Hi...”, she murmured, her scent overwhelming him again.

She stopped massaging and came around to sit next to him, tucking her legs up neatly beneath her body and resting her head against his shoulder. 

“So that was a close call today...”, Walter murmured as Paige drew symbols and patterns on his chest again.

“Walter, I have a question.”, she stated.

“What is it, I might have an answer...”, Walter replied, earning a small smile from Paige.

“I get that today was terrible and dangerous for all of us, but why did it seem like you and the rest of the team were more afraid of the fire than anything else, including the crash?”, Paige asked quietly.

Walter smoothed his hand across her shoulders and Paige settled in closer against his body.  

“Well, there’s only two ways to kill a vampire for good: through decapitation and burning, usually in that order, but vampires used to be burned at the stake all the time during the dark ages and witch hunts and inquisition eras, that’s one of the reasons why we were urged to repopulate and why there are very few elderly vampires...”

“Go on...”, Paige murmured softly as Walter trailed off.

“The fire will burn us worse than it will burn you, believe it or not, and it’s because of our venom. Unfortunately for you, normals still die first because of smoke inhalation, but we vampires are alive until our heads are separated from our hearts...”, Walter replied in a soft tone, even though he shivered at the thought.

“Until the head is separated from the heart...”, Paige murmured, placing her hand over Walter’s heart, “Wow... that’s...”

“Pretty horrible, right?”, Walter supplied.

“Oh, no doubt, but it’s also a bit poetic...”, Paige replied.

“I suppose...”, Walter shrugged.

“I’m so glad you were up front in the helicopter, if it hadn’t been for your suggestion to land in the sheoak, we would have all been killed...so thank you for that...”, Paige stated after a moment of silence.

“No problem...Thank you for listening and finding the hikers...”, Walter replied before he was reminded of the promise he had made to himself while they were crashing, “I have a question...”

“Mm?”, Paige hummed, lifting her eyebrows in acknowledgement.

“You said you wanted to change right? Do you want to change this Friday?”, he asked, hating the way it sounded.

Paige sat up.

“Oh, like we’ll schedule it?”, Paige asked, though she seemed more curious than anything else.

“Well, not really...I-I kind of wanted to make your last normal night special...”, Walter replied, feeling the butterflies returning to his stomach as she looked at him.

“Really?”, she asked, smiling, “Walter, that is so sweet...”

“I was going to take you out to a nice restaurant, just the two of us, get Cabe or someone to watch Ralph for the evening. We’d have dinner, maybe dance if you wanted to, and then we’d come back here around sunset to watch it from the roof, and we’d get comfortable, you’d be in the bedroom just sort of mentally preparing and I’d empty a pint or two of human before just to get me used to the taste and make sure I was not having any cravings and then I was thinking we could bring Ralph back if you wanted, that way he could be with us. Then, well, it would begin...”, Walter described.

“Walter, that sounds perfect...”, she murmured, wiping tears from her eyes, “You’d really do all that for me?”

“Well, yeah, I-I really care about you, Paige.”, he replied, “So what do you think? I could do it Saturday if you wanted and we could make a whole day out of it...”

 _“Or I could do it now if you wanted, and I’d stay up all night even though I’m practically dead on my feet just because I want to be there through it all...”_ , Walter thought to himself, and it was true, he’d do that for her if she wanted.

“I think that Friday sounds perfect. I have enough days to get myself ready for it, and we’ll have the weekend for me to get used to being a vampire.”, she replied, “I do want to run this by Ralph first...”

“Oh, of course...”, Walter said, “I was going to ask him tomorrow.”

“We can do it over lunch if we don’t have a case.”

“That sounds good.”

They laid in comfortable silence and Walter was trying to gather his thoughts and words to tell Paige how he really felt when Paige went limp on his shoulder.

“Paige?”, he murmured softly, looking down at her.

She was fast asleep.

He moved carefully and turned off the lights in the loft before he willed his eyes to turn and then he lifted the pretty liaison up into his arms. She was really sleeping soundly, her face was perfectly relaxed and a small smile played on her parted lips.

Walter took her into their bedroom and pulled the covers back on her side, gently settling her underneath them.

She stretched and shifted, settling herself so she was facing away from Walter’s side of the bed but through it all, she didn’t wake up.

Walter laid down on his side of the bed and turned off the light before facing her back.

“Mmm...Walter?”, Paige yawned as she stretched.

“Right here.”, he murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing all the way over there? Meet me halfway...”, she murmured and slid back into the middle of the bed and Walter caught her and gently pulled her back against his chest.

They fit together perfectly, like they were made for each other.

“Goodnight Paige.”, Walter said softly, kissing her on the cheek.

“Goodnight Walter.”, she yawned, already half asleep again, “Love you.”, she whispered in an exhale as she drifted off.

Walter laid there for a long time and watched the minutes tick by.

What if she hadn’t been aware that she’d said that? She wasn’t coherent, so she couldn’t have meant to say that, he shouldn’t treat it as being a legitimate confession when she wasn’t fully conscious. 

Still, her words had sent a bolt of excitement through his whole being and he knew for a fact that he felt the same way for her. 

 


	10. Sanctuary Doctrine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, this chapter relies heavily on fantasy and some modern fiction about vampires, but I promise you, it is all necessary to begin tying the two halves of this story together. The vampire AU really starts to show in this chapter and will continue to be a major part of the rest of the story. Some OC’s will be added.
> 
> I borrow some phrases and concepts from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, however I use these phrases and concepts in slightly different ways than she does, so I don’t own her material, I’m just borrowing some of it. This will not be a crossover with her works. 
> 
> With all of that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 

After what seemed like an eternity of lying awake and trying to understand Paige’s mumbled love confession and what it meant to him, Walter tried to focus on something else, like the team, but it was useless.

 His mind only wanted to think about the woman he held in his arms.

He heard Sylvester’s words from the hospital, his question, _“You love her, don’t you?”_ , ringing in his head and all of Cabe’s words to him about life and bonded mates.

Soon, all of those things became a jumbled blur in his exhaustion and sleep claimed him as Paige rolled over and cuddled into his chest.

Walter woke up in the middle of the night to the feeling of a small hand shaking him awake and his name being whispered urgently.

“Walter. Walter...”, came Ralph’s small voice.

The young vampire had climbed onto the bed next to his mother, completely ignoring the fact that she was curled into Walter’s chest and sleeping soundly between them, reaching over her body to nudge his mentor’s shoulder. 

“Ralph...”, Walter murmured softly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, glancing at the digital clock on his nightstand, “It’s nearly three in the morning...What are you doing up?”

“I was--”, Ralph began but he stopped suddenly and he and Walter froze as Paige shifted and nuzzled her face closer into Walter’s chest, but she didn’t wake up.

Walter blinked awake as Paige settled back into his embrace and his eyes turned red and he saw that Ralph was red-eyed as well.   

“And why are your eyes red?”, Walter whispered.

“I couldn’t sleep so I practiced changing my eyes back and forth…eventually I fell asleep but I woke up about seven minutes and twenty-four seconds ago to use the bathroom and I was just going back to sleep when I heard some noises from downstairs...It sounds like someone is down there...”, Ralph whispered, “I didn’t want the intruders to see the light shining through the glass, so I used my night vision and chose to cross the loft where I knew my footsteps wouldn’t be heard downstairs.”

Walter heard a dull thud, footsteps, and the ping of some bolts hitting the floor of the garage near Happy’s work space, almost as if whomever was down there was trying to support Ralph’s statement.

Ralph drew nearer to his mother and Walter, fear permeating his voice and scent.

“Walter... I’m scared...”, Ralph said in a very small voice, gasping as the streetlight went off outside, like someone had cut the power to it.

Before Walter could comfort the boy, Paige stirred.

“Mmm Walter...”, she purred softly before blinking a couple times and turning over, catching sight of Ralph, “Ralph, sweetie... What are you doing in here?”, she asked groggily.

“Mom, something is wrong and I’m scared.”, he whispered.

Paige was awake in an instant, looking back and forth between her son and Walter with wide eyes, even though she probably could only see shadows of them in the darkness.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”, she asked a little loudly.

“Shh....”, Walter and Ralph silenced her in unison.

“There is someone downstairs and I don’t know if it’s one of our own people or not...”, Walter whispered, “Ralph, did you hear the door being unlocked?”

“I don’t know... they could have used a lock pick...it didn’t sound forced...”, he replied.

“Are we safe here?”, Paige whispered.

“We should be fine, they’re as long as they don’t leave the front of the garage...I haven’t installed an actual gate for the ramp yet, so there’s only a couple of heavy curtains dividing the main garage and the ramp and the ramp with the loft...”, Walter whispered.

“I can’t hear them anymore...”, Ralph whispered, “Is there any way we can make ourselves safer?”

Walter’s mind was racing.

“You and Ralph hide in the bathroom or in the closet or something...I can--”, Walter began and then he fell silent when he heard the curtains being pushed aside, and two sets of footsteps on the ramp.

Walter could tell by scent now that the intruders were half vampires who were only blood drinkers. 

“Hello? Is anyone here? Any members of the Scorpion coven?”, came a young man’s heavily accented Italian voice, “I don’t think anyone’s here...”, he replied in a softer voice.

“Of course someone is here, can’t you smell them?”, came a young woman’s voice in reply, only her accent was different and he couldn’t quite place it. 

“No I can’t, you put on too much perfume.”, her male counterpart hissed, “And why aren’t we speaking in Italian?”

“Some tracker you are.”, she scoffed, “And we’re speaking English because you need the practice and because they can hear us. I highly doubt they speak Italian, so I want to make sure they know we have only good intentions.”

“ _Piccolo segugio_ , I know you’re one of the few gifted halflings with the enhanced scent tracking and all, but can you just stop already?”, he muttered.

“I hate it when you call me that...”, the female muttered, “You know I do...”

“You stop flaunting your gift in my face, I’ll stop the name calling.” 

“Hush, there are two male vampires, one older and one who is very young and a normal female who is probably the older vampire’s wife and mate and the younger one’s mother...”, the female vampire muttered, “They’re terrified...”

“Well, no wonder…how would you feel if someone broke into your quarters in the dead of night?”, the male asked rhetorically.

“Look at the letters on the desk…this is where the head of the coven lives…”, the female stated.

“Walter O’Brien?”, called the male again, “We are messengers from the  _Vecchio Ordine_ , we’ve come to talk to you... we apologize about our poor timing but we just arrived in Los Angeles after we received word from the Angeles Coven that you were in danger...Your mate and son have nothing to fear, we will not harm you...Please allow us to explain ourselves...”

Walter looked at Paige and Ralph. Paige had Ralph in her arms, holding her son close.

 _“Are they being honest?”,_ Paige mouthed.

Walter inhaled and nodded.

“Give us a moment. We’ll be right out.”, Walter replied in a louder voice, not even bothering to correct the vampires about Paige being his wife or his mate and Ralph being his son, and, surprisingly, neither Ralph nor Paige made the correction either.

He stood up and pulled on a pair of pants he had draped over the back of a chair and then opened his door cautiously, flicking on the lights outside his room and illuminating the loft.

He heard the halflings hiss a bit at the bright light and apologized. 

Paige leaned over in bed and turned on the lamp on the nightstand and then Walter heard her gasp.

“Ralph, why are your eyes turned?”, she asked, rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs.

“I was practicing…”

“Oh, okay.”, Paige nodded and pressed her son to her chest as Walter stepped carefully out into the loft.

The scents of the pair of halflings remained unchanged and he rounded the corner and came into their presence.

Both of them wore all black and red except for the gray details in the female’s dress. Both of them wore silver necklaces, but the pendants were obscured.

The male halfling was taller than Toby by at least three inches and had a very muscular build. His eyes were dark brown and matched his skin tone almost perfectly. He looked a lot like that one actor that Megan had pointed out ages ago when they saw the Thor movie, a man by the name of Idris Elba, the only difference being the fact that this halfling had shoulder length dreadlocks and a scar along his left cheek. He wore fatigue pants, a red t shirt, combat boots and a long leather duster.

The female halfling was built along a much sleeker line, even if most of it was obscured by her maxi dress and long coat. She was about Megan’s height but she also wore boots so that made her a little taller. She had dark brown eyes and darker tanned skin, and her hair was covered by her dark red and black hijab. Based on her eyebrows, he’d safely assume that she had dark brown or black hair. 

Both of them looked over at him, bowed, and then straightened up, but the female was the first to speak.

“So sorry about our intrusion.”, the female began, “My name is Zehra Leon and this is my partner, Anthony Calamita. We are both halfling messengers from the  _Vecchio Ordine._ We were sent here to see if your coven was alright. We are sorry about our poor timing but we came as soon as we got our orders. We have a security detail made up of other halflings and vampires surrounding the building in case of an ambush.”

 _“That explains the streetlight…”_ , Walter thought. 

Walter heard a noise from behind him and saw Paige and Ralph peering out from the bedroom.

“It’s fine.”, he said as he motioned for them to stand by his side. They came forward and Paige held Ralph protectively to her side, still wary of the strangers that had shown up out of nowhere.

Both halflings saw Paige and bowed again to her before standing at attention.

Paige cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at Walter and he got the hint that he was supposed to introduce them.

“Oh, I’m sorry… Anthony Calamita, Zehra Leon, this is Paige Dineen and her son, Ralph Dineen.”

“She is not your wife or mate?”, Zehra asked, cocking her head to the side.

“No, Paige isn’t my mate or my wife, but she and I are together. Ralph is her son, but I am his mentor and his friend.”

“Then I take it that she is not the lady of the coven?”, Anthony asked.

“Nope, just a normal under coven protection…”, Paige replied.

“We don’t really follow the traditional coven hierarchy…”, Walter replied.

“Our apologies.”, Anthony replied, “It is a general rule that we bow to the head of the coven and the leader’s mate or spouse, as well as the second in line to lead the coven… do you have a successor?”, he asked.

“My sister, Megan O’Brien, is currently the successor…”

“And does she have a successor?”

“I don’t know for sure… She’s living with another member of the coven, Sylvester Dodd…”, Walter replied.

“Could you have your coven assembled here in an hour?”, Zehra asked.

“Uh, I could, but with all due respect, I won’t do that.”, Walter replied and elaborated after seeing the confused look that passed between Zehra and Anthony, “You see, my coven is also a team of geniuses. We are government contractors through Homeland Security. Yesterday, we had a very dangerous operation and we were successful and fortunate enough to escape with our lives, so now, as the leader of the coven, I think it’s best that my coven gets their rest without being disturbed.”

Zehra and Anthony nodded.

“We understand. Unfortunately, time is of the essence. We were sent here to enforce the laws concerning a vampire named Mark Collins. According to the report we received, Collins is gifted and dangerous, and he attempted to use his gift to murder your sister prior to her transformation. When he came to the hospital looking to finish the job, he was met with your full coven and was injured. We have no further intel than that on Collins.”, Zehra explained.

“Well, we appreciate your help and everything, but we can’t find Mark Collins. Like you said, my sister wounded him during the confrontation and while we were escaping, so was he. Collins is a hard person to find when he’s not trying to hide, so now it’ll probably be almost impossible…”

“Has Mark Collins caused problems in the past for you or your coven?”, Zehra asked as she and Anthony pulled out notepads and pens and began taking notes.

“Yes. He used his gift of mind control on me to force me into a state called the Rabbit Hole.”, Walter replied.

“Go on…”, Anthony urged.

“Well, this was before we became an official coven, in fact, it’s the reason _why_ we became a coven. The Rabbit Hole is your body being awake and moving but you’re trapped in your own mind while someone else is running the show. You can’t speak but the one who is controlling you can speak using your voice. All you can do is stay there in your mind, still be conscious and aware of what’s going on around you but not be able to do anything. I nearly killed all of the original members of my coven.”, Walter replied.

“Do you have any clue where Collins could be now?”, Zehra asked.

 “Unfortunately, we don’t know. Our only link to him has been lost.”, Walter replied.

“What was your link?”, Anthony asked as he and Zehra scribbled away.

“Who, actually, and he’s a vampire named Drew Baker…”, Walter replied.

“Is he of any relation to you or anyone in this coven?”, Zehra asked.

“Yes…he’s my ex-boyfriend and he’s Ralph’s biological father…”, Paige replied, patting Ralph on the shoulder as the words left her mouth.

“I see…and are you currently seeking to contact your father?”, Zehra asked.

“No…He isn’t really a part of my life...He abandoned mom and I when I was really young and he doesn’t really want anything to do with us anymore.”, Ralph replied.

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”, Zehra said, true sadness in her voice.

“It’s okay. I don’t remember much about him.”, Ralph murmured, drawing nearer to Walter.   

“Drew Baker…”, Anthony muttered, “He sounds familiar…do you have a recent photograph?”

“No, we don’t, but he was changed at the West Villa a while ago and had an audience with Alfonso and Regina Moretti.”, Paige replied.

Both halflings glanced at each other.

“Who was he changed by?”, Zehra asked.

“Although he didn’t say who changed him, he did mention Elisabetta Moretti being a friend of his.”, Paige said.

Anthony swore in Italian and Zehra scolded him.

“I’m sorry, is there some sort of problem?”, Paige asked.

“This is worse than we thought.”, Zehra muttered.

“Why? Why is this bad? Besides the obvious fact that he’s missing and we have no leads on Collins…”, Walter asked.

“While we are in service to the Moretti family and the entire _Vecchio Ordine_ , we are generally discouraged from speaking ill of the members in each section, however, there is talk among the halflings that Elisabetta Moretti has a gift and a plan.”, Anthony replied.

“Come on Ralph, time to go back to bed…”, Paige murmured and lifted her son into her arms after catching the glances of the visitors and the warning glance Walter sent her.

“But I’m not sleepy…I want to stay and listen…”, Ralph replied softly as he yawned and Paige shushed him gently and took Ralph back to his bedroom.

“What do you mean?”, Walter asked, motioning for the halflings to sit, which they did.

“Well, none of the halflings know what Elisabetta’s gift is and it’s rumored that the same few full bloods that know her gift are also the ones that know about her plans. All we know that she has always played the part of both the sweet, caring heiress as well as the part of a ruthless judge, jury, and executioner…”, Zehra said in a low voice.

“What is that supposed to mean?”, Paige asked, coming out and sitting next to Walter and murmuring to him that Ralph was sound asleep.

“It means that she is two-faced. Around the people that she can find favor with, she is the heiress…but she has killed in the name of her family and will kill for her own gain…we think she’s turning into something else…”

“Now when you say something else, do you mean that literally or figuratively?”, Paige asked.

“We aren’t sure.”, Anthony replied.

“We think that it could mean both, if the current findings around the West Villa have anything to do with it… We don’t who is doing it, but a vampire or a halfling is feeding off of halflings and other vampires…we’re finding the scattered remains of the ones whom Elisabetta has had disagreements with.”

“Oh my God…that’s horrible…”, Paige gasped.

Walter felt like he was going to be sick.

“It’s worse than that, Paige.”, he stated, “When a vampire feeds off a halfling or another vampire, it drains them but doesn’t kill them, remember what I said about the head and the heart… they become like ghosts and it’s like all the color is drained from them. They become the living dead…Cabe told me about them once…”, Walter replied and then began telling Paige about what he had learned as the memory played in his mind’s eye.

_“Now son, I’m gonna teach you how to stand up for yourself, okay?”, Cabe said as he rolled up his sleeves, lifted his fists, and got into a fighter’s stance._

_“Alright…uh, Cabe, I have a question…”, Walter asked._

_“What is it, son?”, the agent asked, dropping his stance._

_“You’re hurt…there are marks on your neck and arms…I thought that venom prevented that…What happened?”, Walter asked._

_“Well, son, I had business to take care of, vampire stuff. I don’t think you have to know about what happened…”_

_“But you promised, no secrets, remember?”, Walter said._

_Cabe sighed._

_“You’re right, I did say that…”, the agent replied, “I was working on a case in Romania, they had a little problem with some bad vampires…I had to intervene and I got tossed around a bit.”_

_“What do you mean by bad vampires?”_

_“Well, there’s something that happens to vampires and halflings who feed on other vampires and halflings, they become stronger, and we call them Moroi, which translates to poltergeist. The ones that they drain become the living dead and we call them the Strigoi, which translates to ghost. The Moroi create the Strigoi by draining a vampire or halfling of all their blood, so the only thing they have in them is pure venom. This makes them strong enough to survive almost anything, except a silver stake to the heart followed by beheading and burning the remains. However, Strigoi can all be killed at once by taking out the Moroi that created them. The Moroi need to be killed the same way the Strigoi do.”_

_“What happens if a Strigoi bites you?”, Walter asked._

_“If it doesn’t turn you to one of them, then the venom will probably kill you. This is the only time when the head and heart rule doesn’t apply.”_

_“So what happened to you?”_

_“Moroi tried to get me and turn me Strigoi.”_

_“What happened?”_

_“I killed her after she scratched me up a bit.”_

_“All by yourself?”_

_“No, it takes a lot more than one halfling to kill a Moroi. I had about three other vampires holding her still when I staked her.”_

_“I guess the wounds they inflict take longer to heal…”, Walter stated._

_“I suppose they do. Now, if you’re quite satisfied with this response, I’d like to teach you how to defend yourself…”, Cabe replied and got into his stance again._

“…And that’s all I know about the Strigoi and Moroi. I’m sure Cabe left out some details that he didn’t want me knowing.”, Walter finished.

“No, that sounds like it covers all the bases…”, Zehra added, “Except that the Strigoi can’t go out in the daylight because their eyes are sensitive. When someone is turned Strigoi, they cease to be the person they were before. They no longer have a desire to consume normal food and their eyes are always red. They become faster and stronger and they feed on anything or anyone they can get their hands on. Bloodlust consumes them and they are merciless. They forget themselves and would kill their own friends, family, and coven if they got in the way.”

 “That’s horrific…”, Paige murmured, “What happens if a normal is changed by a Moroi, will the Moroi control them?”

“It is unclear…there is very little history to go off of when it comes to Moroi, as most of them are killed promptly to ensure that their Strigoi die and that no more are created. I assume that if two Moroi were to fight, if one Moroi turned the other, then the former Moroi and all their Strigoi would then be under the command of the victorious Moroi. I suppose that fledglings could be turned to Strigoi as well, but not Moroi because their venom is not effective yet…”, Anthony replied, “I know that to turn someone Strigoi, you have to drain them completely, that’s why it’s still safe for vampires to bite each other in some cases…” 

“But if a fledgling was bitten, wouldn’t that kill them because they don’t produce venom until a week or two prior to their fangs emerging?”, Zehra countered.

“Perhaps.”, Anthony replied with a shrug.

Paige held her head in her hands and sighed.

“I’m exhausted and all of this talk is making my head spin…can we change the topic?”, Paige asked.

“Certainly…If you don’t mind my asking, why aren’t you also a vampire? Surely Walter has offered to turn you…You clearly share a bond that is hard for one to ignore…”, Zehra asked Paige as she crossed her legs and relaxed back into her chair.

“Well, we had agreed that I would be changed this coming Friday, but I haven’t run it by Ralph yet, and I wanted to make sure that he was okay with it.”, Paige replied, “And what do you mean by a bond?”

“Well, I have more scent receptors than most full blooded vampires do, and this one,”, Zehra jabbed her thumb towards Anthony, “calls me _piccolo segugio_ , which translates to ‘small hound’, meaning that I’m a scent tracker. You and Walter have compatible scents…don’t ask me how I know, I just do…It’s like trying to explain how a color looks without using the name of the color, it’s difficult to do, but you each seem to be one half to a whole that has not been joined yet…”

Paige laid her head on Walter’s shoulder.

“Oh, that makes sense…”, she yawned in reply.

Walter was finally starting to feel the exhaustion of keeping his eyes open pressing down upon him and it was like gravity was becoming stronger and pulling him to the floor.

“That’s interesting…”, Walter said, stifling a yawn and blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from his eyes.

“You all must be tired though, so we’ll let you sleep and return at say, half past eight in the morning when the sun has risen and the rest of the coven is about to arrive?”, Anthony said as he stood.

“That sounds like a plan…”, Walter replied as he stood and then Zehra and Paige got to their feet.

“We’ll have our security detail expand the perimeter…here are our phone numbers and this is our hotel information. This is the number for the heads of the detail, Hazel and Victoria Guthridge, they’ll be monitoring the garage from a distance.”, Anthony said as he pulled cards out of the inside pocket of his duster.

“Thank you…”, Walter said and took the cards from him.

Soon, Anthony and Zehra had left and Walter knew he wanted to talk to Paige about the visit but that they both needed their sleep so that they could function in the morning.

They didn’t say much as they went back to bed but Paige did make her wants known when Walter kept his distance from her in their bed.

“Walter… come over here and spoon me…”, she said groggily.

Walter obeyed, pressing his lips to her shoulder in a soft kiss before wrapping his arm around her waist, guiding her back against his body and soon Paige was asleep in no time.

Walter laid awake a little bit longer, just so he could enjoy the feeling of Paige against him. She was so warm and he would miss that about her when she turned. He soon felt the familiar pull of sleep dragging him under and went willingly, allowing himself to drift off into a dreamless state.

 He woke up after what felt like minutes of being asleep to find Paige with her head on his chest, having moved about considerably during the night.

They had switched sides of the bed while he was asleep, probably because she had woken up to use the bathroom and just crawled back into the nearest section of the bed in her half-lucid state and because Walter moved around a bit in his sleep, he had probably just rolled over into her side when his unconscious body felt her heat leave him and then came closer to her again.  

All thoughts of how or why they got switched fled his mind when Paige nuzzled into his shirt, still sound asleep.

He gazed at her and wondered how anyone could stand to have their back and neck in such an awkward position and still be comfortable enough to sleep. Either way, he felt the same unknown feeling that he had felt before coming to life inside his chest and wondered how a heart could _feel_.

The heart was a circulatory muscle, yet sometimes, when he looked at Paige, there was this unknown feeling in his chest, like his heart was trying to express a desire for him to be more than he was and that confused the hell out of Walter.

Paige shifted again and he was brought out of his thoughts to focus on her.

 Her hair was tousled from tossing and turning and her flyaway hairs moved with her every breath. One of her hands rested on his chest, her fingers curled gently into his shirt, holding him in a loose grip.

Her face was obscured and Walter gently brushed her hair off of her face, marveling at her relaxed features and the way the sun fell across her face caught the highlights in her hair.

He had no clue how Drew could bring himself to leave Paige. She had a kind disposition, a wonderful personality, and she was very beautiful. Ralph was brilliant and the fact that he was so willing to learn how to become more socially adept was incredible, as was his impressive IQ. Ralph was already as smart as Walter had been at his age, but the boy was better off than he had been as Ralph was more socially adjusted and had a minor appreciation for the arts and sports.

Those thoughts swirled in his mind but fled in an instant when Paige nuzzled into his chest and tucked herself closer against Walter’s body.

“Drew was a damn fool for letting you go…”, he murmured quietly as he stroked Paige’s hair.

He still had no clue as to what romantic love was _supposed_ to feel like, nor how he was meant to express it, but something told him that the way he felt right now with Paige in his arms was how romantic love in its purest state was meant to be experienced, and even in Walter’s mind, this seemed to register.

Paige began to stir and then her eyelashes fluttered and Walter found himself struck by her as he realized that he was the first person she saw when she opened her big brown eyes.

She blinked a few times and focused on him before her lips pulled up into a soft smile.

“Good morning.”, Walter whispered, moving his hand up to where hers was resting on his chest and intertwining their fingers.

“Good morning.”, she rasped, her voice roughened by her sleep.

She cleared her throat and spoke again.

“How did you sleep?”, she asked.

“Could have been better, I’m still a bit tired…How about you?”, he replied.

Paige stretched in a catlike manner and settled back against Walter.

“I could have done with some more sleep… but I’ll live…”, she answered, “We need to get moving…we have messengers invading soon.”

“I’ll wake Ralph up.”, Walter stated.

“I’ll make some coffee and get started on breakfast…”, Paige said as she cracked her neck and giggled at the way it made Walter flinch.

“Oh, and dress nice, like business professional…try wearing something green and gold if you can…”, Walter added as an afterthought.

“Why green and gold?”

“You saw how Anthony and Zehra were wearing black, red, and silver?”, Walter asked as Paige rolled off of him and stood up to stretch.

“Yeah…”

“Those are the colors set for the enforcers of the _Vecchio Ordine_ …Covens are almost like sports teams and schools with how they designate themselves by the colors and symbols they wear. Our colors are green and gold, just like the colors on the Scorpion Explosives sign and our symbol is obviously a scorpion…”, Walter said as he got up and stretched.

“You’d better text the others and let them know what’s going on...”, Paige replied as they made the bed together.

“Will do…”, Walter stated and they went their separate ways.

Soon, Ralph was up and they were eating cereal together and Paige kept checking the clock as it got closer and closer to eight.

“Ralph, sweetie, Walter and I were talking last night and we wanted to ask you a question.”, Paige said as she combed her fingers through her son’s hair.

“What is it?”, he asked, looking between his mom and Walter.

“Well, Walter and I were going to go on a date on Friday… we’ll have one of the team members look after you while we’re out, but we’ll have them bring you back to the garage after sunset and then, with you there, Walter has offered to change me…”, Paige said.

Ralph glanced at the two adults, looking slightly confused.

Walter cleared his throat.

“I want to ask your permission and we, your mother and I, want to make sure that you’re okay with all of this…”, Walter stated, hoping to clarify things for the young vampire.

“Oh. Yeah, that sounds good…”, Ralph replied after a moment.

“Okay, because you weren’t there when Megan was turned, so you didn’t see her during the rougher parts of her transformation. I just want you to be okay with seeing your mom in some tough positions, because it isn’t easy to watch someone you are close to while they’re in pain…”, Walter added, “I want to make sure you’re ready for that, okay buddy?”

Ralph nodded solemnly.

“I was talking to Megan yesterday about her changes and she told me what Sylvester had told her about the whole experience, how she had a seizure and was screaming and in pain, and all I could think about was how her pain and the fear that Sylvester felt was worth it in the end…”, Ralph replied, “Mom, I know this will help give you some peace of mind and I want to see you happy, so I can live with being afraid and concerned for a few hours so that you’ll have years to be happy just like Megan…besides, Walter will be with me during your changes…we’re likeminded, so we’ll be able to handle it.”

Paige smiled and then kissed her son on his forehead before glancing at the clock again and announcing that it was time for Ralph to go get dressed and to dress nicely because the messengers were coming to visit today and that the rest of the team would be dressed nice.

Ralph explained that he’d probably be researching DNA testing today and then Walter suggested that maybe Ralph should work in his office without any interruptions from the visitors and Ralph agreed before running off and still getting dressed up in jeans and a green and yellow plaid shirt with a plain gray tee underneath it.

Walter set Ralph up in his office with his laptop and closed the door to give the boy some peace and quiet. He didn’t tell him that he didn’t want him being present with the messengers around, but he knew that Ralph had a penchant for eavesdropping and could easily hack into one of the computers downstairs to listen in to their conversations if he wanted to.

Walter got dressed in the bedroom as Paige dressed and applied her makeup in the bathroom (as they usually did) and Walter stood there texting the coven in his suit pants, white dress shirt, and black suit coat when Paige emerged.

“Walter, you need a tie…”, she said, grabbing a green tie out of his closet, and he looked up only to be struck by her beauty.

She was wearing an emerald green lace sleeveless cocktail dress that hugged her figure until it flared at her waist and she wore a pair of black pumps that brought her up a good few inches. She wore her makeup darker and her hair styled into soft curls and she had added gold jewelry to complete the ensemble.

“Paige… you look gorgeous.”, was all Walter was reduced to saying, mesmerized at the bounce in her curls and his ears tuned into the light swishing sound and the tapping noise that her skirt and shoes made when she walked.

Paige blushed and tied his tie around his neck, straightening it out before reaching into the open box of tie clips on his dresser and selecting a simple gold bar clip.

“Thanks, I haven’t worn this dress in ages…I’m surprised it still fits me…”, she replied softly as she ran her fingertips down his chest, smoothing out his tie to place the clip.

“Use this one…”, Walter said and pulled a similar bar clip out of the box, only this one had a small scorpion engraved in it, “It was a gift from Megan when I formed the company…I think now is as good a time as any to wear it…”

“Okay.”, Paige murmured as she fastened the clip into place and looked up at Walter, her hands folding his collar down neatly over the tie.

Her soft eyes caused his heart to melt.

“You know, I never got to kiss you this morning…”, Walter murmured, sliding his palms up and down her bare biceps, relishing the feel of her skin beneath his hands.

“Well,”, Paige began, giving him a sultry smile, “it’s still morning…”

“B-but your lipstick… won’t it smudge? I’d hate to ruin it…”, Walter replied.

“It’s a long wear liquid lipstick that will hold up under anything and I have a primer underneath it that will bond the color to my lips…they call it ‘lip insurance’…”, Paige said with a smile.

“Oh thank God…”, he murmured in reply before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her soundly before pulling back for a second, feeling a surge of pride move through him as he felt how Paige had practically melted in his arms, “Because my resistance was wearing thin…”

She gasped softly as he tugged her closer and kissed her again, his tongue slipping into her mouth and tangling hotly with hers.

She didn’t know the type of power she held over him. Paige Dineen was the only person on this planet that could turn Walter into some sort of lust-crazed animal just by smiling at him.

He was starting to develop a love-hate relationship with the fact that she had that much of an effect on him, but all thoughts were driven from his mind when she whimpered softly against his lips, her fingers flexing around his biceps.

Paige’s sexy little whimper turned to a moan as Walter turned her and pressed her against the dresser and then Paige surprised him when she lifted herself up and sat on the top of it.

He growled into the kiss when she took his hands and placed them on her thighs just below the hem of her skirt.

He pulled back and saw her pupils blown wide and he could smell her arousal mingling with his own.

She was panting and eager and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking about how beautiful that dress of hers would look in a heap on the floor with his clothes strewn beside it.

“Is this okay?”, he asked, flexing his fingers on her thighs, feeling that she was wearing sheer stockings and wishing that he could remove them and touch her warm flesh instead.

“We agreed to not take off any clothes, I still have my dress on…”, she murmured in a low velvety tone that sent his heart racing.

His brain short circuited when she winked at him.

“Come here…”, she whispered as she pulled him close and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Walter pressed closer to her and his hands slid up her thighs, his mind coming alive again as his calloused hands met her smooth skin and then he felt elastic and a clip on the hem of her stockings. His heart skipped a beat as he realized that she was wearing a garter belt and that she probably owned more lingerie.

Now he _really_ wanted to see her without that dress.

She pulled back from the kiss and Walter felt her brush her lips over his ear and feather kisses down to his neck. His hands reached under her ass and he tried to ignore the silk of her panties on his palms as he pulled her closer to him, his hands quickly darting back to her thighs to rub circles against her skin. Her legs tightened and he felt the press of her high heels on his backside, pulling him in so that he was flush against her and could feel her heat through the layers between them.

He rocked his hips against her core, drawing a needy moan from Paige.

One hand remained on her thigh and his other hand came up to the center of her back to keep her in place as he pressed his pelvis impossibly closer to her center and worked his hips in firm circles against her.

Paige was making the most erotic sounds he had ever heard in his life and that only made him ache for her even more.

One of her hands was braced behind her on the dresser and her other hand was in Walter’s hair, her fingernails raking over his scalp, and Walter was so close to asking her if they could take their activities to the bed and forget their rules.

He bucked his hips firmly against her, making sure she could feel how much he wanted her, and she quivered against him, her lips brushing over his ear again. 

 “Do that again and I might not want this to stop.”, Paige purred sensually, her teeth catching on his earlobe.

That little scrape of her unusually sharp canines sent a jolt though his body and sparked something new in him.

Walter kissed her hard on her lips, thankful for the lip insurance, before he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, both of them panting.

“Do you want this to stop?”, he whispered.

Paige exhaled shakily and shivered in his arms.

“To be honest, no…”, she replied softly, bumping her nose lightly against his, “I want to do so much more…”

She had waited for so long, had gone too long without a man’s touch and there’s only so much she could do on her own. She could only take so many cold showers and only dream about Walter making her come undone so many times before she would want more.

Paige wanted Walter desperately.

Walter felt relief wash over him and he smiled as he kissed her before cupping her cheek and pulling back to gaze at her.

 _“There’s that loving look again.”_ , Paige thought.

“And what about you, Walter? Do you want this to stop?”, she asked, feeling suddenly shy under the intensity of his gaze.

“No.”, he replied, and the certainty of his response startled him a bit.

Something clicked in that brilliant mind of his as he realized that he had never been more certain of anything in all his life.

He wanted her so bad.

Paige opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Walter’s phone ringing.

Walter placed his forehead on her shoulder in defeat and placed a soft kiss on her skin.

“It’s Megan.”, he murmured.

“You should probably take that then…”, Paige whispered, placing a kiss in his soft curly hair, inhaling the scent of his shampoo before she slid off the surface of his dresser and fixed her skirt, smoothing down the fabric, making a silent promise to herself to continue what they had started later.

She wandered into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror as Walter spoke to his sister and explained his request for the coven to arrive in business professional wearing green and gold.

Her makeup was still intact but her hair was a little less curly. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were fuller from kissing Walter.

She could still smell Walter’s cologne on her and she braced her hands on the edge of the sink, replaying the exchange in her mind.

The resolve behind Walter’s ‘No’ was still ringing in her ears and making butterflies swarm to life in her stomach. The way he had looked at her when he spoke had made her heart race, an action she was sure he was aware of.

He was aware of so many things. He could probably hear her heartbeat from across the room, he could sense her emotions through her scent, and, for all the times he had claimed to not understand social interactions or emotions, he had surprised her with his responses to Drew’s verbal attacks and his reaction to the knowledge that Megan and Sylvester were dating.

Paige glanced up into the mirror at Walter and wondered how he would react if he knew her true feelings for him.

She felt the prickling of her anxiety and turned on the cold water, dabbing her washcloth around on her skin in such a way that would cool her off and not ruin her makeup.

He wanted her and she wanted him…why was she so nervous?

Was it because of how new their relationship was? She didn’t feel rushed into anything, in fact, that was the one thing she had wondered about the most since she and Walter had become more than just friends and professional colleagues. She was supposed to feel rushed, had anticipated it, but she felt so at ease with Walter, so incredibly relaxed that she wondered why she was even nervous to begin with.

Paige sighed softly and glanced around the bathroom, looking at how they had blended their lives together and hadn’t even noticed it.

 Their bath products sat in the same shower rack, their toothbrushes shared the same holder, her cosmetics were packed away neatly next to his basket of shaving supplies, and her hair products were sharing space with his. The magazine rack had a mix of his Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines as well as her Cosmopolitan and Vogue magazines.

He still kept his Periodic Table of Elements shower curtain, claiming that it had been a housewarming gift from Megan, and she hadn’t questioned it. 

She thought back to weeks ago, when she and Ralph had first moved in, how Walter had immediately emptied out the second closet in his room (which he had been using as storage for parts of computers and blueprints) and turned it back into a closet for her, had spent a whole weekend moving her and Ralph into his apartment (only the essentials, like clothes, personal hygiene supplies, and a couple boxes of things like books, bedding, and some knickknacks, and had turned the guest room into Ralph’s room.

He had even cleared spaces for Paige’s houseplants and didn’t complain when she placed photos of herself and Ralph around the apartment, even catching him looking at some of them. He seemed exceptionally fond of the one photo that had been candidly snapped by Toby of the three of them on the roof with Ralph looking through his telescope as Paige stroked her hand through his hair. Walter was standing beside Paige and both of them were gazing upward at the night sky.

She was fond of that photo as well and had a copy of it saved as her background in her phone.

On nights when she had been exhausted from their cases, Walter had stepped up and fixed dinner and made sure that Ralph was tucked in for bed at a decent hour so that she was able to sleep, even though he must have also been exhausted.

Walter had stayed up with Ralph to complete his science fair project and help him with his writing assignments. He read to Ralph, let Ralph help out with his experiments, and she had even caught the two of them up on the roof one afternoon, Walter with his fangs out, showing Ralph how to sneak up on birds that were sitting on the deck rail.

Walter had definitely become a father to Ralph and that was what scared her.

She didn’t want to get into a relationship with Walter only for her to screw up and then have things end badly.

She didn’t want Ralph to lose his best role model.

She didn’t want to lose the man she loved.

She glanced up in the mirror and saw Walter talking on the phone, not paying her any mind.

He was pacing with one hand running through his hair and he held the phone between his head and shoulder as he checked his watch. Paige glanced down at hers, noticing that it was ten of eight and they should go down and unlock the garage soon.  

He glanced up and his eyes met hers and he smiled minutely at her in the reflection, causing her to smile back at him.

If she could be truly certain of only one thing; she was certain that she was in love with Walter O’Brien.  

“Alright Megan, I’ll see you soon. Bye.”, Walter finished, ending the call and placing his phone back into his pocket.

He entered the bathroom and came up behind Paige, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to the place where her neck and shoulders met, glancing up at her in the mirror. His warm brown eyes made her melt back into his strong arms, the scent of his cologne wrapping around her and pulling her into a blissed out state.

Walter could sense how comfortable she was and he wanted to hold her for hours. But they didn’t have hours, they hardly had minutes.

“You ready to head downstairs?”, he asked.

Paige sighed.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Walter gestured out of the bathroom and did something uncharacteristic.

He held out his arm to her as if he was escorting her down and said, “Shall we?”

Paige took his arm and nodded, earning a smile from Walter.

They were busy tidying the place up when there was a knock at the door exactly as Walter’s watched beeped at eight thirty. Walter blinked and his eyes shifted from deep brown to his normal scarlet as he went to answer the door and let the messengers in.

“Welcome, please, come in…”, Walter greeted with an ease that was abnormal for someone as socially awkward as he was before striding over to Paige and standing very close to her with a forced grin.

Paige smirked internally.

Well, at least that part of him was still the Walter she knew.

Zehra and Anthony smiled and nodded politely towards Paige and she returned the gesture as they entered the garage and were followed by about six other vampires who all bowed to Paige and Walter, then glanced between them, as if they were expecting something different.

Walter cast a glance to his side where Paige stood and then looked at all the vampires.

All of them were blood drinkers and all of them fed on live human, as was the Italian standard.

Walter stepped closer to Paige as they all eyed her up like a meal, and to them, that’s exactly what she was, and Walter hated it.

He knew that these halflings and the few vampires among them had the act of live feeding down to an art, and he was thankful that all of them were well fed, but Paige didn’t know that and her scent reflected it.

It was eerie to have these strangers looking at her like she was some sort of delicacy and Paige was on her guard but still very uncomfortable.

She had become accustomed to seeing people with red eyes, but there were so many of them now that it was a bit overwhelming.

Thankfully, Walter was improving in leaps and bounds with his understanding of her emotions. He stayed by her side the whole time, his hand never leaving hers, and she’d squeeze it whenever she was feeling particularly nervous.

“Uh, welcome…”, Walter began, “As you all know, I am Walter O’Brien. Uh, this is Paige Dineen…”

“Miss Dineen?”, a young male halfling began, “If I may ask, where is your son? We were told that a fledgling lived here as well and was a member of the coven. May we meet him?”

“It is customary to meet all members of the coven.”, A female halfling added, her red eyes standing out sharply in contrast to her dark skin, “Unless he is unwell…”, she continued.

“I’ll go get him.”, Paige said and Walter nodded as she hurried off to the loft and all was silent until Paige and Ralph returned, heralded by the tapping of Paige’s high heeled shoes on the stairs.

“This is my son, Ralph Dineen…”, Paige said and Ralph waved politely as all of the messengers bowed except for Zehra and Anthony, who waved back at him, “I take it Zehra and Anthony told you about our coven dynamics…”

“They mentioned it.”, one female vampire replied, stepping forward with another female vampire, “I am Hazel and this is my mate Victoria…we’re in charge of the detail…”

“It’s nice to meet you.”, Paige said politely, “No need to look so rigid, we don’t stand on ceremony here...”, Paige added after a moment of awkward silence.

The visitors seemed to sigh in relief and relax a little.

Walter cleared his throat and said, 

“Please, sit… I’ll get some chairs from the kitchen…”

“Allow me…”, Hazel said, and before Walter could protest, her eyes were glowing as she pointed to the kitchen chairs.

With a wave of her hand, she willed them to rise and float over to the group before settling themselves down on the floor once more.

Walter had never seen gifts like hers and he looked over to see that Paige and Ralph were just as amazed.

“How did you do that?”, Ralph asked, causing the visitors to laugh a little at his childlike wonder.

As far as they knew, Ralph was just a normal fledgling who was exceedingly bright for his age.

“Well,”, Hazel began, sitting down on the red couch as the other visitors found seats nearby, “It all started when I was sixteen… I had just gotten my fangs and I had been having these strange feelings in my bones for ages…It was summer and my family was living in the country, so we went to the lake for a hunting trip to satisfy my frenzy. My older brother was hunting for fish and I tried to hunt with him but I got frustrated so easily with the way the fish were eluding my grasp, so I grabbed for a fish as it was escaping and it froze in the water, still moving its fins but not going anywhere. I was so shocked that I froze too, and then I wanted it to come closer and I willed it to come to me… It was strange and wonderful… Shortly after that, I decided to go and train with the gifted ones at the West Villa and I became a member of their order when I was old enough. There I met Victoria and we were married a few years later… we have three adopted sons.”

“Our middle son, Flynn, is about your age… he hasn’t started his changes yet like you have…”, Victoria said as she sat next to Hazel.

“What are your gifts?”, Ralph asked Victoria.

Walter shared a smile with Paige as they saw Ralph begin to come out of his shell around the visitors.

“I have a slightly less impressive gift. I can block mental attacks...I’m like a shield and I can project this onto a great deal of people without weakening my protection at all. I have practiced for years with this as my changes began early, much like yours…”, Victoria explained.

Ralph went to reply and was cut off by the garage door opening and Megan and Sylvester walking in, hand in hand, both dressed in similar fashion to Paige and Walter.

Megan was wearing a simple black dress with green and gold jewelry and a pair of green flats and Sylvester wore his usual attire, this time with a green and gold argyle sweater vest.

“Oh…so these are the visitors you were talking about…”, Megan stated, removing her sunglasses to reveal her red eyes and smiling widely to show her fangs, “It’s so nice to meet all of you…”

Walter cleared his throat.

“Uh, this is Megan O’Brien and Sylvester Dodd. Megan is my natural successor.”, Walter stated.

Megan waved at all of the visitors and took a step back when they all got up and bowed to her.

“Wow, uh, thanks? I-I really wasn’t expecting that…”, she said in response to the messengers greeting her.

“So I suppose we should find some seats…”, Sylvester said and he and Megan retrieved their desk chairs and sat on them.

Awkward silence filled the garage again and Paige coughed.

“Uh… maybe it would be best to begin when the rest of Scorpion is present… can I get you anything to drink?”, Paige addressed the messengers, rising from her chair.

“Oh, you’re too kind… do you have any human on tap? Preferably O positive?”, one of the younger halflings began in an almost condescending tone and looked at his fellows for any sign that his jab at Paige, her unchanged state, and her blood type was well-received.

Walter was about to say something offensive to the halfling in response, but Zehra beat Walter to it and kicked the halfling squarely in the shin, causing him to yelp and she muttered something in Italian to him under her breath, making him gulp nervously.

 “I apologize Miss Dineen…We don’t really consume anything but blood, but water is fine…I’ll help you get it.”, he replied.

“No that’s fine…I can manage on my own…”, Paige replied, turning and walking away, her heels clicking sharply on the concrete floor.

Walter could tell by her scent that she was fed up, but he couldn’t tell what she was fed up with. At this point, it could have been the rude halfling, her state of being, or a combination of the two.

“I’ll help her…”, Megan offered and disappeared into the kitchen area to help Paige.

In the next few minutes, almost everyone had water or coffee (for the adult members of Scorpion) and the rest of the coven had arrived.

“Okay, time to get down to business.”, Hazel said and clapped her hands, causing everyone to fall silent, “Everyone knows the basis of why we’re here today. My enforcers, you read the reports from the Angeles Coven as well as the notes that Zehra and Anthony took last night, Scorpion knows firsthand. Unfortunately, we all know the basic proceedings in cases such as these. The vampires in question must be found and punished accordingly.”

The members of the cyclone looked at each other in surprise.

“Vampires? As in there are more than one?”, Walter asked.

“I thought we were just looking for Mark Collins?”, Happy said, glancing at Toby before looking to the messengers for clarification.

“Well, yes, we are looking for him, he is our number one target, but to find him, we need the link: Drew Baker.”, Victoria explained.

“He’s missing, we let him walk on Monday evening…haven’t heard from him since…”, Cabe spoke up.

“Why on earth did you do that?”, Hazel asked.

Cabe shifted.

“It’s hard to arrest someone without probable cause when they are in protective custody and have the right to leave at any time.”, he replied, downing the rest of his coffee.

“Well he’s not exactly innocent. He threatened Miss Dineen and the rest of the coven.”, Hazel replied.

“But we believe that Collins was working through him, using him as a mouthpiece.”

“Does it matter?”, Victoria piped up, “His intentions weren’t great from the start… we all know what happened. We spoke to Agent Phipps, he’s a Homeland consultant for the _Vecchio Ordine_ , a fully legal position to hold. He told us all about the confrontation that took place at the pier on Monday…”

“Then he told you how Drew’s scent changed when Collins overshadowed him?”, Walter chimed in.

“He did. But he also told me that he wasn’t responsible for the decision to let Drew leave.”

“Then who was?”, Paige asked.

“Free will… that’s all it took…We weren’t holding him.”, Cabe replied, “We had no reason to hold him.”

“Well that’s a problem because we need to find him. He could be anywhere…I’ll have my consultants begin to search for him and for Collins.”

“I’ll put out an APB on Collins, consider him armed and dangerous…”, Cabe said.

“Wait, but Collins is paranoid as hell, he’ll definitely have a way of keeping track of law enforcement proceedings…If he hears we’re looking for him, he’ll become a ghost, we’ll never find him then…”, Toby said.

“Then just put out an APB on Drew Baker. Tell them to proceed with caution and deliver him to us in one piece but to tell him that we only want him for questioning…If we can find Drew, he can lead us to Collins…”, Hazel stated.

“And who knows, he might self-incriminate…”, one of the halflings mused aloud, earning nods and sounds of approval from the other halflings.

Walter looked to Ralph and noticed that he looked upset, something that broke his heart.

“What are you going to do to Drew when you find him?”, Ralph asked, bringing the conversation around them to a standstill before Walter could ask him what was wrong.

“We do what must be done…we will ask him our questions and then, if he is guilty of committing crimes against your coven or the _Vecchio Ordine_ , we will punish him according to the coven laws.”, Zehra replied in her gentle tone.

“We understand the connection that Drew has to you and your coven, but the fact that we all know he was turned by Elisabetta Moretti herself is startling, especially given the fact that his mind was being controlled by Collins…”, Anthony said.

“I agree, remember what I told you all?”, Zehra added, “It may be wrong to speak about the heir this way, but the evidence is incredible…”

“Well, we figured he was changed by Elisabetta Moretti, Drew practically told us that yesterday…”, Sylvester stated, “I don’t see what the problem is with her…”

“We fear that she may be Moroi.”, Victoria replied, cutting Sylvester off mid statement and observing the cyclone’s shocked reactions, “According to Zehra and Anthony and many other members of the enforcement order, Elisabetta has a plan and a gift. Her enemies have been turning up in pieces and they seem to have been turned Strigoi… some of the bodies show signs of suicide, like Elisabetta turned them and then made them kill themselves…but we never see her, she’s hardly at the West Villa anymore, she’s always traveling, so it’s hard to say for sure that it’s her…”

“What do you mean by Moroi and Strigoi?”, Megan asked and Ralph turned to her.

“Moroi drain other vampires and halflings and then control them by using something similar to the Rabbit Hole. The drained ones become the Strigoi, the living dead… they have only venom in their bodies, they’re hard to kill, they’re pretty much nocturnal because the light hurts their eyes, and they’re basically consumed by hunger for blood. They’d basically kill anyone, friend or foe…”, Ralph replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “To kill a Strigoi, you need to drive a silver stake into their heart and cut off their head and burn them. I guess burning is optional, but it’s often done to lay the body to rest so they have no chance of coming back…You do the same thing to kill a Moroi, only when you kill the Moroi, all of its Strigoi die too…”

“How do you know this?”, Victoria asked, “We don’t even teach our novices at the West Villa about the Strigoi and Moroi until they are nearly completed their training…”

“I’d like to know that too.”, Paige added, fixing Ralph with a stern, yet motherly glare and crossing her arms, “I thought you were asleep last night…”

“I was, but then I heard you discussing the case…”, Ralph replied, “I know you said no eavesdropping, but I’m a part of Scorpion too…”

“That’s right, you are a part of Scorpion, but this is serious business…and I don’t like it when you lie, understood?”

Ralph nodded.

“I’m sorry mom.”, he replied.

“I’m afraid sorry won’t cut it this time…no Proton Arnold for three days seems like a fair punishment for lying and disobedience, wouldn’t you agree?”, Paige replied.

Ralph nodded.

“May I be excused to work on the experiment?”, he asked.

“Go ahead…”, Paige said and Ralph ran off upstairs after waving at the rest of the enforcers, who had been chatting quietly among themselves during Paige and Ralph’s exchange but looked up and waved goodbye as Ralph disappeared.

“Now, where were we?”, Hazel asked.

“We were discussing Elisabetta and her enemies…”, Happy replied.

“And Elisabetta’s treatment of her enemies sounds pretty familiar…”, Sylvester mused, glancing at Megan as he spoke.

Megan nodded.

“You all heard how I was changed and why?”, she asked and the enforcers nodded, “Yeah, that was Mark Collins.”

“Lucky for us, Megan managed to see Collins’s plans for the coven while she was under his control.”, Cabe stated, causing the visitors to murmur excitedly amongst themselves.

Victoria and Hazel glanced at each other and back at Megan.

“Go on…”, Hazel urged and the visitors all got out their notepads and pens again.

“It’s not pretty…He was going to kill me, leave Walter and the coven to grieve me, and then, once Walter got angry, he was bound to start making irrational decisions and try to avenge me, leaving Paige and Ralph open to attacks.”

Megan paused to let them finish writing before continuing.

“Collins would kidnap Ralph from his school by controlling one of his teachers and then he’d kill the teacher once he had Ralph. Then, while the coven was freaking out over Ralph, Collins was going to control Drew and have him lure Paige out and prey on her emotions, after all, even if Paige and Drew have been separated for years, Ralph is still their son. Once Paige was lured out, Collins would take her too…this is where it gets violent and hazy…”, Megan said and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember.

“Just try your best…”, Sylvester murmured, moving to hold her hand, “You’re doing so well already…”  

“Uh…there was something about a cabin or a house…that’s where Paige and Ralph would be…somewhere underground at this house, like a cellar of some sort…Collins would lock Drew up in the other cellar and then try to control Happy into drugging all of you and leading the coven out and into the woods on a wild goose chase, wearing you out until you were passed out, then Happy would be used to torture Paige and the rest of the coven. Uh…there’d be a live feed that he’d make Walter watch… Collins would start killing then, forcing Walter to choose between members of his coven and Paige or Ralph…Collins would be stronger…He would do stuff to Paige and Ralph, but mainly to Paige…torture her, feed off of her, do other things that I’d rather not even think about…”, Megan replied, shaking her head, “That’s all I could remember…”

“That’s plenty.”, Walter said, feeling like he was going to be sick if he heard any more and Paige was feeling the same way, he could tell.

 “That’s enough. If we prove that Megan is gifted, her testimony will hold up in a trial…give us a legal means to execute Collins…”, Hazel stated.

“But what if I’m not?”, Megan asked.

“Then it can’t be used.”, Victoria said, “But we can always test it…”

“How?”, Megan asked.

“We need to find a likeminded individual…”, Zehra stated.

“But you do realize how hard it is to find someone like that? Mind gifts like the ones Megan may or may not possess are rare, it’s a wonder we’ve managed to piss of a vampire like Collins who actually _does_ have that gift…”, Toby spoke up.

“Well, you’re all gifted, aren’t you?”, Victoria asked, gesturing to the cyclone.

“Well, if you’re counting being a genius a gift, then yes…”, Happy replied, “But if you’re talking about mind freak stuff and superhuman abilities, then we don’t have much of that.”

“Happy is the only one who has a solid mind gift…Mine is more or less reading body language than reading minds…”, Toby stated.

“Happy? What can you do?”, Hazel asked.

“Pain projection without contact…I’d rather not test it on anyone…”, she said.

“Fair enough.”

“Well, this is a problem…we don’t have any likeminded individuals on record here or in the Angeles or Olympic covens…”, Hazel said.

“We don’t have time to go tracking down all the covens in this hemisphere trying to find one with someone who can read minds…”, Victoria said.

“But they are all gifted…”, Anthony said slowly in an enlightened tone, “All of the full vampires in the Scorpion coven are geniuses…They are under attack by a hostile who may or may not be working with Drew...”

“Collins is a mentally gifted vampire, a half step away from becoming Moroi…”, Walter mused aloud, “You could kill two birds with one stone…”

He was remembering back to the night when he laid out the coven paperwork, for Paige and Ralph, how he glanced over a part of the coven protection documents.

“What do you mean?”, Paige asked.

Walter was up and moving, dashing back to the filing cabinets where he kept the coven information.

“There is a clause in the documents that states that any coven with a high number of gifted vampires that is under attack can seek direct and temporary protection and relocation through the mother coven, meaning the _Vecchio Ordine_.”, He said, pulling out the documents, “All I have to do is sign this paper, hand it to Hazel, have her sign it, and then we’re safe.”

“Walt, are you nuts? That’s just a piece of paper, it won’t stop Collins from doing anything…”, Happy asked as Walter rummaged in the nearest desk, which happened to be Megan’s, for a pen.

Megan cringed as her younger brother knocked over her pencil can in his haste.

“But it isn’t just a piece of paper…”, Walter said, his eyes flying over the document, checking for any problems or errors that would make it impossible for Paige and Ralph to benefit from this clause as well, and, when he found none, he signed and dated the document.

The document floated out of his hands and the pen did too and Hazel willed them to float her way as the cyclone watched in awe at her gifts.

“It’s the Sanctuary doctrine…”, Hazel said with a grin and with a snap of her fingers, the pen fell into her palm and the document floated to the table before she signed it, “And I accept it and claim the Scorpion coven and all its protected people under the official protection of the mother coven, the _Vecchio Ordine_.”

Walter grinned, finally feeling like he was taking a step to secure their safety as a coven.

“But what does this mean?”, Paige asked, and he noticed the confusion of the rest of his coven, except for Cabe, who smiled too.

“It means we need to pack our suitcases and grab our passports…”, Cabe replied, “Because we’re going to Rome.”  

 


	11. Transitions & Developments

“Rome?”, Paige asked, “Do you mean Rome as in the Rome in _Italy_?”

“Where else would I mean?”, Walter asked as Hazel excused herself to make a phone call to the West Villa and tell them about the new plans.

 “Well, I don’t know, but _Rome_?”, Paige looked almost frantic, and Walter’s spirits fell a little at this, “Can I speak to you, preferably in private?”, she asked, her tone as sharp as her scent.

Walter nodded and led her back to the Airstream, which was soundproofed, closing the door behind himself.

“What in the world are you thinking?”, Paige asked, turning on him just as the door closed behind them, “Taking all of us to _Italy_?! I don’t have that type of money…”

“Don’t worry about that…”, Walter replied, trying to calm the angry liaison before him.

Paige sighed and shook her head.

“I’m not turned yet. Ralph and I don’t even have passports!”, She exclaimed, throwing up her hands in the air.

“Homeland has all of that covered, Cabe is most likely on the phone right now getting expedited passports for you and Ralph.”, Walter replied.

Paige huffed softly before sitting down and falling silent for a moment, placing her head in her hands and breathing steadily, collecting her thoughts.

Walter wanted to say something more to her, but he knew better than to interject now and interrupt her thought process.

She finally looked up at Walter and there was fear in her eyes.

“I just don’t know how effective this will be. I know you mean well but you heard what they said, Elisabetta is supposedly running around and making Strigoi… I don’t want to be one of the only humans around if she makes one and decides to let it live…The only one here who has actually fought off vampires and killed them is Cabe…he’s the only one who has any sort of training and none of us are armed with silver stakes.”

“Paige, let me tell you some things that I’ve seen while being the leader of this coven. Hopefully these things will change the way you view us…They aren’t meant to frighten you.”, Walter replied, sitting across from her and taking her hands in what he hoped was a reassuring way, “I have heard stories of Cabe tearing Strigoi apart with his bare hands and staking Moroi and I’ve seen the physical evidence too. I have seen Toby kill half a dozen armed men in under ten seconds. I have seen Happy literally rip an attacking grizzly bear in half on a hunting trip in Montana… Sylvester may not seem like the type to be able to do something like this, but I know he can if he needs to because he was one of the main ones to fend off Collins the first time… I have every confidence that my sister can do the same, after all, you saw what she did to Collins. You heard what I did with that mountain lion…We may not have silver stakes and experience with using them, but none of us are weak and incapable of protecting ourselves.”

“Then why the sudden rush to get us to Italy?”, Paige asked.

“Well, because we’ve never had to really protect someone else in the process of defending ourselves…You and Ralph mean the world to me, to all of us, really. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you or Ralph that could have been prevented by having more people on our side… If you get hurt, I can change you, but if Ralph gets hurt-”

“There’s nothing you can do to help him…”, Paige murmured, “He’s already a vampire, so you can’t change him.”

“That’s why I’m doing this…”, Walter replied, “I almost lost Megan to Collins...I can’t risk losing you or Ralph too...”

Paige was silent for a moment as she let Walter’s words sink in.

“Then I suppose I’ll go and tell Ralph the news. We’ll start packing…”, she murmured.

Paige stood up and Walter stood with her, their hands still joined.

Neither one of them wanted to let go.

“So what are we going to do about Friday?”, Paige asked, “We’re not going to be here…”

“Well, I need to prepare myself a little bit, but I can change you later today at the earliest.”, Walter replied, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands.

“I don’t know… I’m kind of scared of the pain…”, Paige confessed, “I think I need some more time to psych myself up…”

Walter nodded and, in a way, he could almost relate to her. After all, he would need some time to steel himself in order to get through the ordeal of seeing and hearing Paige in agony during the transformation.

“We can have you changed in flight… One of the rich families in the _Vecchio Ordine_ has a private jet that they let the enforcers use for missions like these so that they can travel without raising suspicions.”

“If something happens while we’re in flight, and I hope nothing happens, I don’t want to be a burden…”

Walter went to talk but they were interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

Walter leaned over and opened the door and Megan poked her head in.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt but we need you out here… Hazel is going over some things…”, Megan said.

“It’s no problem… Let me just go get Ralph and tell him what’s happening…”, Paige said, dropping Walter’s hands and exiting the Airstream.

“Sylvester already told him… I hope you don’t mind that…”, Megan replied.

“No, no… you’re fine, I kind of wanted to tell him myself, but it’s no big deal…”, Paige stated as they walked over to the main area of the garage and took their seats again.

“Alright, I just received confirmation from the West Villa that you’re free to travel. We are leaving as soon as possible to ensure that you all remain safe, so I assume that tomorrow afternoon is an ideal time to leave, that way Ralph can be excused from school until his return and so that Paige and Ralph can get their expedited passports.”, Hazel said, brushing her short hair back.

“Really, Paige? You’ve traveled with us to Mexico and Bosnia, all without a passport and never had issues with that…”, Toby said, turning to look at her.

“That was all for Homeland, genius, she didn’t exactly need it then like she does now.”, Cabe replied before turning to Paige, “By the way, we’ll need yours and Ralph’s social security numbers and we’ll need to take some pictures of you for the passports.”

Paige and Ralph nodded in unison.

 “As I was saying,”, Hazel began again, “We’ll be leaving tomorrow and we have a plan to keep all of you protected during the transition phase. We don’t have nearly enough people to ensure all of you are guarded at once, so we have to ask that you make a list of the things you need to pack and then we’ll send two of you and two of our members out to pack and return within about a four-hour time period, that way you are protected.”

“Wait. ‘And return’?”, Happy asked.

“That’s the other thing. The garage will need to serve as a safe place until tomorrow. All of you will need to stay here overnight…”

Walter felt his heart skip a beat.

“Wait a minute.”, Sylvester spoke up, “I’m all for your idea but we all can’t possibly stay here overnight… There isn’t enough room!”

“I barely have enough space and bedding here… we could make it work, but I can’t guarantee that everyone will be happy or comfortable with their arrangements…”, Walter replied.

“Trust me, you don’t want to have to work with one cranky genius, let alone five of them. I can’t guarantee it, but I’m sure that Paige and Megan won’t be happy either, and you can bet that I’m not gonna be much fun either.”, Cabe replied sagely.

“Noted, but we need to assume that there is constant danger.”, Hazel stated.

“No, you know what? I’ll risk it.”, Happy said, “I’m sleeping in my own bed tonight, nobody bothered me last night, I doubt they’ll bother me tonight, and if they do, I’m strong enough to kill them…Mark Collins can eat a c-”

“Happy!”, Paige scolded and nodded towards Ralph.

“A clove of garlic…”, Happy said, making her words a little more age appropriate, but threatening nonetheless.

“I’m with Happy.”, Toby said, “Collins is injured, Megan made sure of that. He can’t use his energy to hunt or to control anyone or else he risks losing his sight for good. He’s not going to do anything for a few days except try to heal, so I can rest easy for at least one night knowing that he’s not in a position to attack any of us.” 

“Same here.”, “We can handle ourselves.”, Megan and Sylvester added.

“Perhaps we can come to some sort of compromise?”, Victoria asked, looking at the coven.

“A compromise is doable…”, Paige nodded.

“If Walter doesn’t mind, I think I’ll spend the night here, that way the visitors can split up in pairs and keep a watch around everyone’s apartment buildings… The Airstream has a pretty comfortable bed in it, so I’ll be okay.”, Cabe offered.

Walter nodded.

“There’s your compromise.”, Walter added, “What more do you need to tell us?”

Hazel sat down again.

“Well, for starters, you won’t actually be in the city of Rome for the duration of your stay. The _Vecchio Ordine_ has a villa out in the country that is well guarded and the grounds are very large and stocked with wildlife, since you all prefer animal to human.”

“I don’t drink animal…”, Sylvester stated.

“Only purified human?”, Hazel asked.

“Yes ma’am.”

“We’ll stock the villa refrigerator with plenty of it…Any preference?”

“Nope. Just as long as it’s clean. No drugs, no bloodborne pathogens…”, Sylvester replied.

“Understood…The villa itself is large but some of you may need to double up in terms of sleeping arrangements…”, Hazel stated.

Walter and Paige shared a look.

Walter wanted to sleep with her and Paige wanted to sleep with him, but nobody except for Ralph knew that they had been sharing a bed and were, for lack of a better term, dating.

 _“Do you want to?”_ , Paige mouthed.

Walter nodded and began to speak his request.

“Uh, P-”

“We’ll be sleeping together.”, Megan said before Walter could make his request, smiling as she held Sylvester’s hand.

Walter looked at the pair and was surprised that they would be so open about their relationship.

“Well, of course.”, Victoria said nonchalantly and took a sip of her water, “Isn’t that how most mates sleep?”

“Wait, wait… you two are mates?”, Walter asked, feeling like he had been slapped in the face.

“Well, yeah… wasn’t it obvious?”, Megan asked.

“No.”, Toby replied, “I mean, we all could tell that you were together, even if you had never told us that directly, we would have all figured that out eventually, and we all noticed some changes in your habits, but nobody knew for sure that you were bonded together…”

 “I don’t understand why this is such a shock to you…”, Megan replied, earning shocked murmurs from the group of visiting halflings.

“Megan and I are already dating…you already knew about that, we didn’t think that us being mates was such a big deal…”, Sylvester added.

“And neither of you could have told us sooner?”, Happy asked, “This _is_ big news.”

“Why should we need to broadcast it to all of you? It doesn’t feel like something that should be made public.”, Megan stated and Sylvester nodded in agreement.

“Taking a mate is the emotional equivalent to being married to someone…”, Hazel interjected, “You wouldn’t get married behind your family’s back, would you?”

“Of course not.”, “Not unless there was a good reason to keep it secret.”, came Megan and Sylvester’s respective replies.

“Then why should this be any different?”, Victoria asked.

“Because we have different opinions on this…”, Sylvester replied, “Megan and I feel that this is something that should be between us…”

“It was probably not so obvious to the rest of you because none of you have experienced a bond…”, one of the halflings spoke, “It was obvious to me because I’m a husband and a mate…I know what to look for…”, he added.

“That’s how I noticed it as well.”, Victoria stated.

“Well now that everyone knows, can we just move on?”, Paige spoke up, “If they want to be private about it, let them. Personally, I’d like to get back to the sleeping arrangements, and with that said, Walter and I will be sharing quarters as well.”

Toby shot them a weird look.

“It’s for safety purposes.”, Walter stated in a flat voice and cut Toby off before the shrink could say anything witty about Paige’s request. Paige nodded in agreement and Toby shrugged.

 “I also want Ralph to be in his own quarters with his own bathroom close to where Walter and I are.”, Paige said without missing a beat. 

“Yeah, I’ll take my own room with a bathroom.”, Cabe said.

Happy and Toby both wanted their separate rooms as well and Hazel nodded.

 “Considering everyone’s requests, we’ll have enough rooms for everyone to have their desired accommodations, but two of you will have to share a bathroom…”, Hazel stated.

Happy and Toby looked at each other.

“I’m willing to share as long as the doc isn’t going to be weird about it.”, Happy stated.

Toby held up his hands in defense.

“Nope, no weirdness. You won’t even know I’m there.”, Toby replied.

“Then that’s settled.”, Hazel said, typing the requests into her phone, “There is a pool on the property surrounded by gardens and there is a small pool house so you can change there or take shelter in bad weather. There is a gym in the basement as well as a wine cellar and there is an outdoor area used for hand to hand combat and traditional weapons training in case any of you wanted to learn how to fight. This outdoor area also has a small house with changing areas. The housekeeper will give you a full tour. The weather is mild but humid, so pack accordingly.”

“You’re also encouraged to bring at least one outfit appropriate for a black tie formal event.”, Victoria added, “Just in case Alfonso or Regina Moretti wants to speak with you.”.

“Uh, none of us has that type of money…”, Happy said.

“Then I guess we’ll be visiting Hetty again…”, Cabe said and pulled out his phone.

“We can cover it… consider it a gift, besides, the Moretti family is very close with some of the top designers in Milan, if you get the wireless installed and operating in a reliable manner throughout the West Villa, they might actually help you out some more…”, Hazel replied with a wave of her hand.

“Gotta give it to get it.”, Happy shrugged, “I’m okay with this, hell, we might as well create a website for them while we’re at it.”

“So it’s settled. We leave tomorrow at noon…We’ll be in Rome late Friday night or early Saturday morning…”, Victoria said.

Paige leaned towards Walter.

“Well,”, she murmured, “I suppose that I can get changed while we’re in Rome…”

“When in Rome…do as the vampires do…”, Walter murmured back, earning a smile and a light swat on the shoulder from Paige.

Walter smiled back as he watched Paige and Ralph get their information together for Cabe.

In a way, having Paige changed in Rome would be for the best. Sure, being away from home had its obvious disadvantages, but as Walter thought about them, he realized that the pros of Rome outweighed the cons. Paige could learn how to hunt and get used to her new strengths and her heightened senses in a more controlled and peaceful environment, and not in a loud and busy place like Los Angeles. If she had gifts, she could practice them in a larger and much more secluded area, and that was much better than having her practice them in the city.

“Hey Walt, can we take the day and get packed?”, Megan asked.

“Sure.”, he replied, “We’ll meet back here at 9:00 tomorrow morning, that way we can load the van and go to the airport. Everyone but Paige and Ralph has their passports, right? Nobody needs them renewed, they’re all up to date?”

The rest of the cyclone nodded.

“Good. Make sure you pack your tech supplies and anything you need from here today so we’re not rushing tomorrow.”, Walter replied.

Paige approached Hazel as the visitors stepped outside, some of them for a smoke break, others just to converse in private and give the cyclone some space while they packed up their work stations, most of the cyclone leaving shortly thereafter.

“Uh, Hazel?”, Paige said to the older woman, who had been typing things into her phone but looked up to meet Paige’s eyes, “Hi, sorry to interrupt.”

“No, no, it’s fine…What do you need?”, she asked, giving Paige her undivided attention.

“Two things actually. First, I was wondering if you had any tips for me about traveling in a place with lots of vampires and second, I was wondering if there was any place on the villa’s property that was away from the house, someplace where I could possibly be changed?”

“Well, there’s a small cottage set back in the gardens near the surrounding wall, it’s pretty far from the villa, so you would be alone… it has all the necessities, but it’s quite small and old so there aren’t many outlets or lights…I would suggest taking some candles and matches with you…”, Hazel replied, “There’s also a gate in the wall about a half a mile away from that cottage and on the other side is a path that leads to another villa. The owner is my brother, Oliver. He and his wife live there with our mother and father. The gate is usually locked for safety reasons, but I can tell him when to unlock it, in case you need help.”

“Thank you…”

“As for the whole human-in-a-vampire-city thing, just act normal…we’re people too, just people that have different diets than you… most of us do feed on live human, and some of us do just take people wherever they are, but since you’re under protection, you’ll have bodyguards with you when you travel outside the villa, and if there are vampires around you at the villa, they have been screened and are employed by the _Vecchio Ordine_ , so they know there are strict feeding rules. Since you are protected in Scorpion’s contracts as well as the Sanctuary Doctrine, the punishment for anyone feeding on you without your explicit and written permission ranges anywhere from imprisonment to death depending on how much blood is drawn.”

Paige nodded,

“Understood…”

Hazel smiled and then went to speak to one of the halflings before leaving to allow them to pack up.

Walter came up behind Paige and placed his hand softly on her back.

“Hey, what was all that about?”, he asked.

“Well, I just had to ask her a few things, like whether or not there was a secluded place I could be changed on the property and how to handle being a human in a city full of vampires. She answered both questions and I feel a lot better about traveling there now.”

Walter smiled a little.

“I’m glad to hear that…”, he replied before lowering his voice, “listen, about earlier when we were getting ready, I--”

“Mom? Walter?”, Ralph called, interrupting Walter.

Paige loved her son dearly but sometimes he truly had the worst timing.

“Yes?”, Paige and Walter said in unison as they turned and saw Ralph at the upper landing of the stairs.

“Can you help me pack, I’ve already got an idea at what clothing items to pack, but I need some help with actually packing my suitcase in an efficient manner…”, he replied as his mother and Walter climbed the stairs to meet him.

“What’s the matter?”, Walter asked.

“I can figure out how to pack efficiently, but I have no idea where my suitcase is…I also need help in choosing outfits. I don’t want to look too grown up around all these important people, but I also don’t want to look too childish, if that makes any sense…”, Ralph said and made a face.

“Oh of course it makes sense. I’ll help you pick out some outfits…I even know a few packing tricks to help you on the efficiency front.”, Paige said, “Walter, would you mind getting Ralph’s suitcase for me? It’s in the back of my closet nested inside my suitcase...”

“Sure.”

Paige sent him one of her sweet smiles that warmed him to his core.

“Thank you.”, she said and followed her son into his room.

Walter walked into the bedroom and opened Paige’s closet up before exhaling at the sight of all her clothes.

He had seen her in most of the items in here but he wondered what he hadn’t seen. His eyes fell to a chest of drawers that he had put in there for the rest of her clothes. Being as perceptive as he was, he knew which drawer held which articles of clothing but he thought back to this morning’s activities and glanced over at the dresser, noticing how it was shifted, no doubt from the force of him pressing Paige into it.

She _had_ been wearing a garter belt and silk panties, meaning that she probably owned more lingerie.

He glanced at the chest of drawers and shook his head.

 _“Don’t be a creep! Just get the suitcases and get out!”_ , he thought to himself.

Walter reached into the closet and tugged Paige’s suitcase out from the back, closing the door behind himself.

 _“Besides,”_ , he thought, _“if she does own lingerie, looking at it in the drawer would be pretty stupid and it would take all the fun out of seeing it on Paige later…Not to mention that if she saw you looking through her lingerie, you’d probably never get to see her in it at all…”_

He unzipped Paige’s suitcase and pulled out Ralph’s suitcase before dragging his own luggage out of the back of his closet.

“Here you go.”, he said a few minutes later as he set Ralph’s suitcase on the boy’s bed.

“Thanks Walter.”, Ralph said as he unzipped it and Walter stepped back and watched as Paige, still done up in her dress and heels, showed Ralph a trick for packing a day’s outfit neatly together in a very efficient and space-saving manner.

“Now that won’t work for everything, like your dress clothes, those have to be laid flat so they won’t crease.”

“We can just iron them out again.”, Ralph said with a shrug, but listened to his mother all the same.

Walter smiled.

Ralph surprised him sometimes with how similar he was to Walter as a child and a fleeting thought made him wonder if Ralph would have acted the same way if the boy had never met him.

“Walter, can you do me a favor and empty the dryer…Ralph needs socks…”, Paige said and Walter nodded before walking away to the laundry room and emptying the dryer, sorting their socks out into three piles: his, Paige’s, and Ralph’s.

Walter performed the task without thinking, his mind occupied with creating a packing list for himself, but when he was done, he stared blankly at the piles of clean, folded socks within the basket and inhaled deeply.

It had never dawned on him quite like this that he had become a family man.

Although it was never stated directly between them, he was Ralph’s father figure. He had opened his home and his life to Paige and Ralph and they had settled into domestic routines.

_Domestic._

That was an adjective that Walter had never imagined applying to himself.

He had always assumed that he would have to go through his life alone.

His previous girlfriends had accused him of leading a selfish, sad, and bitter life and had, in their anger (usually when Walter broke up with them), said that he would die alone.

He knew that such a statement was true of his former self.

Megan was the only one he had in those days and he knew that when she was gone he would be alone.

Things were different now that he had a coven, Megan had been changed, Cabe had reentered the picture, and Paige and Ralph had become a part of his life.

 Provided nothing happened that would shorten his lifespan (or anyone else’s), he would be able to enjoy the company of his coven for centuries to come and, hopefully, if the research he had done in secret about mates was true and if Paige was his mate and they became deeply bonded, he wouldn’t die alone. He had read that vampire mates were for a lifetime, and that the longer a bond was maintained, the more common it was to see that if one mate died of old age or some other natural occurrence, so would the other.

 _“It’s almost cruel to know that love can and most likely will kill you in the end.”_ , Walter thought, _“But if being Megan’s brother and Sylvester’s friend has proved anything at all to me, it’s that love is well worth the risk…”_

Walter sighed and took Ralph’s socks to his room, lingering in the doorway for a moment, just watching as Paige and Ralph worked together.

It was an amazing sight to behold, especially since he understood how much work it took on both of their parts to be able to help one another and bridge the IQ/EQ gap between them in an almost perfect compromise.

However, the look on Paige’s face is what really caught his attention.

 He had seen the photos of Paige in her late teens when she had been pregnant with Ralph and then again in her early twenties, holding Ralph as an infant, and throughout his childhood and in every photo, Paige’s loving gaze towards Ralph had never wavered. As an expectant mother, Paige had marveled at her baby’s growth within her and then from the moment Ralph was born until now, her wonder and awe had only grown.

Paige loved Ralph and Ralph loved his mother, and Walter knew that that would never change.

His own mother’s voice came floating back to him from the day when he and Megan had left Ireland.

Her goodbye to Megan had been a little more emotional, leaving both women in tears, but her words to Walter had been simple and concise.

_“My heart will always be with you, Walter, remember that.”_

He had scoffed at her words then and told her that that was an illogical thing to say because if her heart was truly with him, she’d be dead.

He cringed at the memory and how sharp and biting the words sounded in his head, remembering how his mother had sighed, shook her head, and leaned on his father for support. He hadn’t hugged them goodbye, just said goodbye, nodded, and then turned his back on them before boarding the plane without a backwards glance, an action that, he now realized, had probably hurt his mother’s feelings.

In fact, there were probably a lot of things that he had done in his life that had hurt his mother’s feelings.

Sure, his mother hadn’t been as proud or as supportive of him as Paige was of Ralph, but Louise O’Brien had tried to reach out to him in the only ways she knew how, by trying to treat him like he was a normal child, and it hadn’t been enough for him (or had it been too much?). So unaware of his actions or their repercussions, Walter had shut her out from an early stage, simply assuming that there was nothing his mother could do for him that he couldn’t do for himself.

When he had needed his mother after the bombing, he got some support, but for the most part, she had given up on trying to connect with him and had focused on Megan instead.

Walter couldn’t possibly fault her for that, after all, Megan had been going through a very rough relapse at the same time and the doctors thought for sure that she wouldn’t make it through.

Walter’s father, Sean, hadn’t been understanding of his genius or his vampire nature, but he had made attempts to normalize him as well, only Sean had given up on Walter before Walter could really shut him out.

Walter hadn’t been the son Sean had wanted.

Callan was a small market community just outside of Kilkenny and Sean was a farmer, so naturally, he had wanted a son to help with the farm.

In a way, Walter had been a disappointment for his father from the start and his lack of interest in sheep and the farm had only made it worse, especially since the other boys his age were all helping their fathers on their farms while he was reading every math book he could get his hands on and building rockets out of cans, wires, and bits of household products.

His father had done some good for Walter when his fangs had emerged, especially after he had killed one of the sheep, and began baiting the barn with bits of stale biscuits to attract the rats so that Walter wouldn’t go after the sheep for blood.

Walter hadn’t been very kind to either of his parents and he felt his spirits fall at that thought.

For the first time in a long time, he felt guilty and he didn’t really know how to process it.

He couldn’t go back in time and do everything again the right way and he didn’t know if his parents would accept an apology now that he had seen the error of his ways.

It made him feel sick and it made his head swim.     

“Walter…is something wrong?”, Paige asked, breaking Walter out of his own thoughts.

There was concern in her soft brown eyes and he shook his head, swallowing a few times to get rid of the dry feeling in his throat.

“I’m fine…”, he replied when he was sure that his voice wouldn’t waver and betray him, “Here, Ralph… I have your socks.”

Ralph took the socks from Walter with a simple “Thank you” and began packing them away in his suitcase.

Paige studied Walter’s face carefully.

She didn’t need an acute sense of smell to know that something was wrong that Walter wasn’t telling her.

“Walter.”, she spoke, and Walter seemed to snap out of his own thoughts, looking down at where she sat on the floor and raising his brows.

“Hmm?”, he hummed.

“Help me up?”, she said, thrusting both of her hand up to him.

“Oh, of course…”, He said and took her hands, pulling Paige up off the floor before watching her smooth her skirt down.

She turned towards Ralph and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Can you manage to pack the rest of your clothes on your own?”, Paige asked.

“Yeah…It’s pretty simple…the big stuff goes in first, the shoes go in on the sides, then the smaller things go in on top. Underwear and socks go in the around the large items. The dress clothes get hung neatly on hangers that get secured with the snap loop and zipped into the mesh section. Am I missing any steps?”, Ralph replied.

“Put a change of clothes in your carry-on bag, just in case.”, Paige replied.

“What about the toiletries?”, he asked.

“I have to go out and buy some things but I’ll get them sorted out…”, Paige said, “Other than that, I’d say you’re all set. I’ll call you around noon for lunch.”

“Okay...I’ll probably be downstairs if I finish packing…”

“Alright.”

Paige and Walter left the room, closing the door behind them and then Paige turned concerned again.

“You and I need to have a talk…”, she murmured as they walked to their bedroom.

“What’s wrong?”, Walter asked as Paige shut the door behind them.

“You had this look on your face earlier that I’ve never seen before, so I know something was bugging you.”, Paige said and turned to Walter, her expression concerned even though she still had that soft look in her eyes, “You seem…conflicted…confused…”, she continued, tilting her head slightly to the side and squinting her eyes a little, as if she had the ability to see something that he didn’t.

Walter sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

There was no sense in lying to her.

“Fine. I was thinking about this.”, he replied and gestured vaguely around the room.

“This?”, Paige asked, confused.

“Yeah, how we’ve meshed our lives together…I-I don’t know why it’s making me feel this way, but it is…I’m puzzled by the fact that this domesticity is somehow coming so naturally to me and yet I’m worried that I’ll somehow mess everything up…”, Walter replied, the words flowing out of him as he sank down onto their bed.

“Oh…”, Paige said, coming over to sit by him, her skirt rustling as she sat down.

She took one of his hands into both of hers and began brushing her thumb over the back.

“Is that strange?”, Walter asked, half hoping that she shared his concerns, the other half working out solutions should he be alone in his dilemma.

“No. Not at all…”, Paige replied, “I understand all too well…”

“Really?”

Paige nodded and looked into Walter’s eyes.

“You know, when Ralph and I moved in here, it was a big step for us too, because for years, it’s just been Ralph and I. Even before Drew left us for the first time, we were on our own for the most part…Taking this step was exciting and just a little bit terrifying…”

Walter cocked his head to the side.

“Why was it terrifying?”, he asked.

Paige sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before smiling coyly.

“Well, having the hots for your vampire boss is one thing, living with him is another thing completely…I-I didn’t know that your feelings were mutual…I was scared you would find out and that it would ruin the friendship and trust we had built…I was scared of how it would affect Ralph…namely how it would hurt him if we fell apart…”, she replied, a slight waver in her voice as she looked down at her hands.

“Ralph?”, Walter asked, sighing and cupping Paige’s jaw gently with his free hand, tenderly lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes and see his sincerity, “I would never want to hurt him in any way— “

“And I know you wouldn’t. It’s just that things affect kids differently than they do adults, even when they’re a genius vampire fledgling like Ralph…and for Ralph, some things could affect him more than others…”

Walter nodded.

“Now as his mother, it is my job to make sure that he has the best life I can provide for him, and that means I have to be very careful about who I allow into my life.”

“I understand.”

“And Ralph—Ralph looks up to you…you’re one of the most important people in his life right now, I hope you know that.”, Paige replied.

“I had a feeling that I was…”

“But do you know how much you mean to him? How much of an impact your presence has on his life?”, Paige asked softly.

“I can only make an educated guess.”, Walter replied, his spirits lifting a little bit when Paige smiled at his response.

 “He relates to you in so many ways and he looks to you for guidance. You aren’t just a friend to him…you’re the closest person he has ever had to a father…”, she replied.

Walter felt his heart skip a beat.

He had heard Ralph say the same thing twice before, but to hear it from Paige was a new experience entirely.

“And h-how do you feel about this?”, Walter asked, “Your opinion matters a lot to me…if he wants me to be his father figure, I’d be more than honored to fill that role, but you’re his mother in all senses of the term…your opinion on this matter trumps mine in a heartbeat.”

“Ralph admires you and he trusts in you. You respect him and you care deeply for him…You’re also a man of your word…I trust you.”, Paige said, smiling softly, “But you need to let Ralph approach you and tell you himself.”

Walter nodded.

“Understood…”

There was a brief moment of silence until Paige spoke again.

“Although you seem to be much better off than before, I can still tell that something is weighing on your mind…”

“My parents.”, Walter blurted out.

“What about them?”, she asked, “I thought you weren’t in contact with them anymore...”

“I’m not…the last time I spoke to them was when Megan and I left Ireland…”, Walter replied, the guilt tightening and constricting around his chest, “I was watching you and Ralph and I realized how much he and I are alike and also how much he and I are different…”

“How so?”

“Well, my parents didn’t understand my genius…they tried to connect with me, but I sort of pushed them away, well, I pushed my mother away...I just wasn’t the son my father expected me to be…”

“He didn’t accept you?”

Walter shook his head.

“I didn’t live up to his expectations…Megan and I come from a small market town called Callan. It’s mostly surrounded by country and farmland, so, naturally, a son means an extra set of hands to help on the farm…I didn’t like farming…The work was necessary, but so boring…I had no way to exercise my mind…When I wasn’t out helping my father, I was reading every book I could lay my hands on and when I wasn’t doing that, I was probably getting caned for talking back to my teachers in school. And as if it wasn’t enough to be a genius, I was a vampire…Eventually, my father seemed to stop caring…he’d still do things for me, like leave some stale food in the barn to attract the rats, that way I was always well fed so I wouldn’t go after the sheep…When I left, I said something that was really hurtful to my mother and now that I think about it, my parents may not have been the best, but they did try and I didn’t even acknowledge their attempts. Their actions were in vain because they were trying to normalize me, but there is one thing that Ralph had that I didn’t at that age…”

“What’s that?”

Walter pressed his lips to her forehead and inhaled her perfume.

“A mother who never gave up on him, who never tried to make him be a normal kid, and a mother who jumped at the opportunity to let him be with his own kind…”

Paige sighed.

“Aww…”, she said, a soft smile coloring her lips, “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome.”

Paige wrung her hands a little.

“You know; it isn’t easy being an amazing mom… To be honest, parenting takes a lot of patience and tolerance and it takes even more than that when you’re raising a genius, let alone a genius vampire fledgling…your parents had a lot on their plate when you were growing up, what with Megan and the farm…”

Walter made a noise of agreement in the back of his throat and Paige grasped both of his hands with hers and brought them to her lips to press kisses to the back of them before continuing,

“Walter, I’m sure your mom and dad tried too…”

Walter sighed.

 “I suppose you’re right…”

They sat in silence for a minute or so before Paige spoke.

“We should probably get started packing…”, she murmured as she remained stationary.

Walter was the first to move and he stood, Paige mirroring him as she smoothed her skirt out.

She walked over to her closet and began looking through it as Walter pulled out his phone and began creating a tech inventory that he could reference later (it’s not as if he would forget what he packed, but he did it as a way for the rest of the team to keep track of his items should they need to borrow something).

“Well, I should go pack up my tech…I’ll just go…”, he said.

“Okay…”, Paige replied, digging in her closet for something.

His hand was on the doorknob when Paige called his name.

“Walter, maybe you should change first…”

Walter turned around and Paige was already laying out outfits on their bed.

“You know, those are your good clothes…”, she said with a shrug, “It wouldn’t be efficient to have to run out to have them dry cleaned at the last minute…”

“You’re right…I wouldn’t want to ruin them…”, he replied, crossing the room as he removed and placed the tie clip on his dresser, right on the spot where Paige had been.

They had both wanted each other so much then and even now; those feelings hid just below the surface.

Paige’s hands faltered over her clothes and she didn’t miss how Walter’s hand lingered in the spot where she had been sitting not even three hours ago. She wondered if he was thinking about how they had both confessed to wanting more, because she certainly was.

Half of her wanted to talk it out, the other half wanted to pick up where they had left off as if no time had passed at all.

Walter looked up into the mirror that hung on the wall behind his dresser and found Paige staring at him.

Walter tugged at his necktie and slid the knot down, pulling it off and setting it on the dresser, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

He wanted to address those words that had passed between them in the heat of the moment, how he still felt that way.

Walter unbuttoned his shirt and then pulled it off and hung it up in the closet, leaving him shirtless from the waist up. 

He looked up in the mirror and Paige’s eyes were sweeping his torso. She licked her lips and her eyes followed his hands to his belt.

He didn’t mind that she was watching him, it was actually pretty hot with her eyes on him and he wondered if she was aware that she was staring.

Paige’s mind was indeed wandering, taking mental photographs of Walter and filing them away in her memory, no doubt to use to fuel her fantasies later.

 “Paige? Is something wrong?”, he asked, unbuckling his belt and sliding it out of its loops.

Paige blinked out of her stupor, shaking her head and looking away.

“I-I’m sorry…I’ll leave so you can change…”, she stammered, her face getting red in embarrassment.

“No, you’re fine…we’re technically in a hurry…”, Walter replied, “I don’t mind…”

Paige nodded and kept her eyes on her packing, determined to not look over at her boyfriend.

“Then I’ll just keep packing…”, she replied, more or less talking to herself.

Walter smirked. He had caught her admiring him and, while he knew he wasn’t exactly an Adonis, it still felt good to boost his ego every now and then, not to mention the fact that Paige’s reaction had been positively adorable.

Usually it was him stammering and being embarrassed while Paige was a model of confidence. It was nice to see their positions reversed for a change. 

Paige glanced over and saw him glancing down with a smile on his face and she felt a little spark of indignation.

 _“Why you smug little— “_ , she thought, glancing back at her suitcase.

He was messing with her, knowing that she would be embarrassed.

 _“Well, two can play at this game, Walter O’Brien…”_ , she thought and then straightened up, tossing her hair back, and knowing he would notice.

She confidently walked over to her closet, putting a little more sway in her hips as she went.

She felt his eyes on her ass and knew it was working.

 _“Who’s tempting who now?”_ , she thought.

She didn’t look at him as she pulled a pair of old jeans out of her dresser along with one of his dark tee shirts that she had ‘borrowed’ from the laundry and a pair of socks.

Then she took off her jewelry and placed it on her dresser before reaching back and moving her hair out of the way of the zipper that ran down the length of her spine.

She began humming the same song they had danced to, knowing it would bring back positive memories for him of a time when he had admitted to her looking good.

Then she reached back and grasped the zipper, thankful that she was flexible enough to manage this on her own, before tugging it down slowly.

“Uh…P-Paige? W-What are you doing?”, Walter stammered.

 _“Giving you a taste of your own medicine.”_ , she thought.  

 “I’m gonna slip out of this dress so I don’t mess it up…It’s nice and I think I’ll wear it in Rome…”, she replied innocently, turning to look at him and smirking internally at his reaction, “You don’t mind, do you? I mean, you said it yourself, we’re in a rush…it would be inefficient for us to waste time by having one of us leave and return while the other one changed…”

“N-no, no…I-I don’t mind…”, he replied.

“Okay, good.”, Paige replied in a saccharine voice, smiling and batting her eyelashes a bit for added effect.

She continued unzipping her dress slowly, teasing Walter with it, and it was all going so well until the zipper got caught in the lace just above her bra.

Paige frowned and tried wiggling the zipper to free it.

It wouldn’t budge.

So much for her sexy striptease.

“Uh, Walter? I could use a hand here…my zipper is stuck…”, Paige said.

Walter had been admiring her short-lived progress, but he snapped out of it when she called for him.

“Yeah…uh, no problem…”, He replied as she walked over to where he stood and looked in the mirror with her back to him.

He grasped the zipper and freed it in no time.

“Can you just unzip me the rest of the way, just in case it gets stuck again?”, Paige asked, looking at him in the mirror, blushing a little.

Walter met her eyes and nodded.

He exhaled quietly and felt the heat radiating off of her skin, wanting to kiss her in that place just below her ear and hear that breathy, barely audible noise she made whenever he had kissed her there in the past.

Her perfume was soft and alluring and he inhaled deeply before slowly dragging the zipper down.

If he had been in this position a year ago, he would have just unzipped her and been done with it, but now he took his time.

 As each inch of her soft, sun kissed skin was revealed, his desire for her only grew.

Paige’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at Walter’s reflection in the mirror, how he looked at her as he carefully unzipped her dress, and she felt the familiar rush and pool of heat settling low in her abdomen when he glanced back up at her.

Their eyes met and she swayed a little where she stood, the depth of his gaze causing her to go weak in the knees.

She knew for a fact that he could sense her arousal and that knowledge raised goosebumps on her skin.

He hadn’t even touched her yet and she felt like she was burning from the inside out.

“Paige…”

Walter’s voice came out in a low, gentle tone and Paige could hear the remnants of his Irish brogue beginning to break through even as she shivered gently from his cool exhalation.

“Yeah?”, she replied, her voice airy and breathless.

“You’re unzipped…”, Walter replied, but made no indication of moving away from her.

Her perfume was lost beneath her arousal and Walter had to remind himself that if this mutual arousal was a daily occurrence now, in a few days when Paige was changed, there was a very high statistical probability that one of their moments could lead to euphoria and subsequently lead to them mating.

“Oh…”, Paige breathed in response, her pupils dilating.

Walter held her gaze and watched her swallow.

She was gorgeous.

She was gorgeous and he had fallen for her.

He never thought it would happen.

Yet here he was.

Paige shivered, breaking him out from his daze.

He watched her draw a shaky breath and wet her lips.

His eyes fell to the back of her neck.

Such an innocent spot, hardly what was normally considered erogenous.

His eyes traveled down the length of her spine and he counted all her vertebrae, seeing the very slight protrusions that only those who possessed heightened visual perception could visualize.

“You know how many presacral vertebrae are in the human spine?”, he asked as the question formed in his mind, his voice never rising above a murmur.

“No…how many are there?”, Paige replied.

“Twenty-four…”, he replied, reaching out and placing a couple fingertips to the skin just below her hairline on the back of her neck and dragging them gently down the center of her back as he spoke, “Seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracic, and five lumbar…”, his fingers lingered at the hem of her panties and then fell back to his side.

Paige exhaled a soft plea in the form of his name, never in a million years imagining that Walter O’Brien could almost make her come undone with science and a simple touch.

“Walter.”

His name falling from her lips like that was his kryptonite.

Paige shrugged and her dress slipped from her shoulders, down her arms, and fluttered to the floor, leaving her clad in only her sheer thigh high stockings, her pumps and her powder blue satin panties, bra, and garter belt.

Walter’s eyes swept over her body and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer.

His lips were on her neck in an instant, his hands grasping her waist.

Paige melted back against his body with a soft gasp and Walter hummed with satisfaction.

“So…do you still feel the same as you did earlier?”, Paige sighed breathily, her body conforming to his. The feeling of his cooler flesh against her made her shiver a little.

Walter pressed a kiss to her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist before placing his chin on her shoulder and looking at them in the mirror.

“I think I’ll always feel that way about you.”, he murmured, pulling her closer, “You’re really warm…”

“Not for long…”, she replied, referring to her upcoming transformation.

“Mm, I’m enjoying it while it lasts…”, Walter replied and kissed her neck.

His palms slid down to her waist and he felt the silk garter belt beneath his hands and Paige twitched a little.

Walter frowned and looked down at her waist to find the garter belt pressing into her sides.

“Is this too tight?”, he asked, glancing up at Paige, who nodded.

Walter’s hands found the clasps in the back of the belt.

“Do you mind if I take this off? It’s digging into your skin…”, he asked.

Paige nodded.

“I should probably get these off too…”, Paige said, dropping her hands to her stockings.

“Here…why don’t you sit down…”, Walter said and gestured to the side of their bed that faced the door, away from Paige’s packing.

Paige sat down and Walter dropped to his knees, not caring that he was still in his dress pants. He wanted to romance her and be the one to ease her discomfort.

He ran his hands down her legs and sensed her heartbeat increasing as he gently pulled her pumps off and set them aside.

“Do your feet hurt?”, he asked, remembering that his mother had always claimed that they were “a bane to the fairer sex”.

Paige nodded and flexed her feet.

“A little…”, she murmured before humming softly as Walter began to carefully massage her feet, working his thumbs into her arches, watching her face contort in pleasure.

Paige let out a soft sigh as Walter switched feet.

“Hey Walter?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we’re mates?”, she asked.

Walter looked up at Paige.

“I don’t know for sure…”, he replied, still working on her feet, “Do you?”

“Mmhmm…”, Paige hummed, “We suit each other well…”

“I agree…”, Walter murmured in reply.

“Would you want to be mates?”, she asked.

“Definitely…”, he replied, grinning up at the smile and at the way she blushed.

 _“She’s so perfect.”_ , he thought.  

Her hum turned to a low moan as he began working out the tension in her calf muscles and then he bravely placed a kiss on the inside of her left thigh before retreating back to her feet.

They had never discussed their boundaries as it applied to this.

If their relationship had been a little more developed, he would have peppered kisses up her thighs, taken off her panties, and buried his head between her legs for sure, but now was not the time and Paige had never consented to that.

Walter exhaled slowly and ran his palms up her legs once more and placed them on the garter clips at the hem of her stockings. Paige shifted so that he could unclip them easily.

When the clips were off, Walter rolled the left stocking down her leg and Paige smiled down at him as he rolled the right one down before sliding his palms up her legs once more, this time causing Paige to shiver.

Walter glanced up at her and unclipped her garter belt and she pulled it off with a sigh and placed it beside her on the bed.

Walter frowned slightly at the angry red marks on Paige’s waist and began to massage them slightly, making her giggle and squirm a little.

“I’m kind of ticklish…”, Paige admitted when Walter glanced up at her laugh, the look in his eyes akin to that of a child on Christmas.  

She knew that glint in his eyes and the mischievous smile that played around his lips.

“Walter, no…”, she gasped and began to scoot away from him in a playful manner.

“Walter yes.”, he replied and began to tickle her, his fingers still gentle on her skin. He could hurt her easily if he wasn’t careful and even the smallest scratch or pinprick could be dangerous if there was blood involved.

Paige shrieked in surprise and rolled on her back and Walter got on top of her.

“Uncle! Uncle!”, Paige gasped, “I give…”

Walter ceased immediately but then noticed a spark in Paige’s eyes and before he knew it, he was on his back and Paige was sitting astride his hips, right on top of his hard-on, causing him to groan.

He had no idea how she had managed to flip him, but it was now his turn to gasp and laugh as she tickled him.

“Ah! Paige, stop it!!”, Walter squeaked in a very uncharacteristic way.

“Do you give?”, she asked.

“Y-yeah!! Okay! I give!”, he replied and Paige stopped, sitting back on her heels and looking down at him.

Walter’s hands were above his head, his palms raised in surrender. He held her gaze for a few moments and Paige slid her hands into his and intertwined their fingers, moving herself over him without touching their torsos.

Silence passed between them and then Paige leaned down, pressing her body flush against his before attaching her lips to his collar bone and sucking hard. Walter knew she was marking him, but he didn’t care enough to stop her or to even silence the groan that left his throat at the feel of her skin against his.

When Paige was satisfied with her handiwork, she trailed kisses up Walter’s neck and jaw, finally pressing a kiss to his lips.

Then it was like a dam had been broken.

All the penned up desire they had held for each other came bursting forth in a tidal wave and it swept them both away.

Their hands parted and Paige’s went to curl through his hair as Walter’s hands went to her waist and pulled her impossibly closer, his hands running up her sides to the clasp of her bra in the center of her back and lingering there.

He broke the kiss and Paige began scattering kisses along Walter’s forehead.

“Paige, can I--?”, Walter began before she silenced him with her lips.

They pulled apart a moment later, not shifting much, but Paige reached behind herself and popped the clasp on her bra with ease, slithering out of it and tossing it across the room.

Walter never looked away from her eyes.

Paige pressed her bare chest to his and kissed him forcefully before beginning to work her hips over his arousal.

Walter’s hands went down to her ass and he gave her a light squeeze, causing Paige to smile against his lips.

They were lost in each other’s embrace, simply living for the here and now, and it was wonderful.

They were so oblivious to the world around them that they didn’t hear the door open until Toby’s voice came through and Walter flipped Paige beneath himself in a heartbeat and pushed a pillow over her bare breasts, defending her honor even as she gasped in shock.

“Hey Walt, I let myself in, I just need an—Oh, my God…”, the shrink said as he walked in on a shirtless Walter and a nearly-naked Paige making out on the bed, immediately cursing himself for not knocking first.

The next thing he saw was Walter lunging at him with his eyes red and his fangs bared, and physically removing him from the room.

When they were outside of the bedroom, Walter closed the door behind himself.

“What the hell are you doing here?”, Walter asked, calming down a little.

“Asking for a damn laptop bag… the strap on mine broke…With hindsight being twenty-twenty, I should’ve called ahead of time or at least knocked on the door before barging in there. Ralph was downstairs playing on his tablet and he directed me upstairs…I had no idea you and the missus were about to get it on…”, Toby replied, holding up his hands in surrender.

Walter sighed at Toby’s words and shook his head before replying.

“Paige is not my wife and we weren’t going to ‘get it on’.”, he whispered, wrinkling his nose in disgust at Toby’s word choice, “And you have a nose, you can smell what’s going on…”

“Okay, no need to whisper, Ralph’s got his headphones in… I understand and I apologize and, in all honestly, my mind was elsewhere…”, the shrink replied, “But, seriously, if I didn’t know better, I would have had to assume that you and Miss Dineen were about ready to answer euphoria’s siren song and try to create little vampires…”

Walter shook his head again.

“Just go… the spare laptop bags are in the bottom left shelf of the closet by the Airstream… Help yourself.”, he replied.

Toby nodded and then raised his voice.

“Paige? I’m sorry for this…”, he called, “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t see anything, and even if I did, I’m a doctor, remember, so I’ve seen it all before…”

“It’s okay…and uh, thanks, I guess, for that consolation?”, Paige replied.

Toby looked back at Walter and looked him up and down before lowering his voice.

“You’ve been working out?”, Toby whispered, gesturing to Walter’s upper body.

“No. I’ve been busy.”, Walter replied, wanting to get back to Paige and apologize profusely to her before the mood was completely gone.

Toby could sense the tension in Walter’s voice.

“Well, I’m sorry I interrupted your activities.”

“Goodbye Toby.”, Walter emphasized and pointed to the door.

Toby raised his hands in surrender.

“Well, at least you’re making progress in the romance department…”

“Yeah, now why don’t you go make some progress of your own… seems you could use a push in the right direction…”, Walter muttered as Toby walked to the door.

 “I heard that,”, Toby said as he opened the door and then turned to face Walter, “And don’t worry about me, I have a feeling that Happy and I will get together on this little Roman retreat…”

Toby closed the door before Walter could make a comeback, but he could have sworn he heard Paige snort from inside the bedroom.

Walter shook his head and walked back to the bedroom before knocking lightly on the door.

“Hey, it’s just me…”, he said, waiting for Paige’s permission to enter the room.

“Come in…”

Walter opened the door and shut it behind himself, this time making sure to lock it, before turning to face Paige.

She had changed into her jeans and one of his tee shirts and was pulling on her converse sneakers.

“Uh…I hope you don’t mind that I got dressed…”, Paige said, noticing the look on Walter’s face.

“It’s fine…I h-had wanted to try and, uh, continue where we had been interrupted…”, he replied, feeling the tiniest twinge of rejection.

“Oh, so did I, it’s just that, well, we need to get packed and I need to make lunch for Ralph and run to the store and make sure he’s packed up and ready to go…”, Paige said, smiling sadly, even as they heard Ralph call for her.

“Mom! It’s almost noon!”

Paige called in reply,

“I’ll be a bit late with lunch, but it’s coming!”, she yelled back before shrugging at Walter.

Walter matched her smile, understanding immediately.

This was the life of a parent. Having to give up your time and moments with your significant other to care for the child.

“Duty calls”, she replied.

Walter nodded before crossing the room to give Paige a chaste kiss.

Paige patted Walter’s cheek and left the bedroom.

Walter sighed once he was alone again.

He heard Paige making lunch, heard Ralph running upstairs, chattering excitedly about Rome and how he had never been outside the country and heard Paige’s response.

He got dressed and pulled out his own suitcase from the corner where he had placed it earlier, sitting it on the bed near Paige’s.

He looked up as Ralph poked his head into the bedroom.

“Walter, lunch is almost ready…”

“Okay…I’ll be right there…”, he replied, but Ralph only came closer.

“Walter? Can I ask you a question?”

“Hmm?”, Walter hummed, looking up as he put some things in his suitcase.

“Are you and my mom mates?”, Ralph asked.

The question caught Walter off guard.

“What?”, Walter asked.

Ralph came closer.

“Earlier, when Hazel was talking about the rooms, when Victoria said something about Megan and Sylvester being mates and then Hazel said that it was the emotional equivalent of being married…Are you and my mom mates?”, Ralph elaborated, “You like each other a lot, I know because you sleep together and because we’ve successfully cohabitated for some time now…”

Walter felt his face getting hot.

“No…We aren’t mates…”, Walter replied.

 _“Not yet.”,_ he thought.

“Oh…”, Ralph replied, and the disappointment was evident in his voice and his downcast eyes.

 “But, can I tell you a secret?”, Walter whispered, wanting to make Ralph feel better about the somewhat confusing relationship that he and Paige had.

Ralph nodded and came closer.

“What is it? I promise I won’t tell…”, he asked.

Walter took a deep breath.

“Your mother and I are together and I do like her a lot…you see, when grownups like each other a lot, they do things together, like sleep together and kiss each other.”

“Gross.”, Ralph said and made a face.

“I know.”, Walter replied, playing along with Ralph, “Kissing is gross but kissing certain people is really good and those people have to be super important.”

“My mom is important to you, isn’t she?”, Ralph asked.

“She’s very important.”

“Do you love her?”, Ralph asked, “Megan said that she loves Sylvester and that he’s very important to him…”

“My sister is a very smart person… but I really don’t know what love feels like…”, Walter replied, staring his protégé right in the eyes, noticing how they were the same color as his father’s but held none of the darkness that Drew’s eyes possessed. He saw Paige’s kindness instead and that gave him the courage to continue, “But your mom is a very special person and she’s helping me redefine and understand love a little every day…does that make sense?”

Ralph nodded.

“She says you mean a lot to her and I think she loves you.”, he replied.

Hearing those words only solidified the mumbled confession Paige had made the other night.

“And what about you?”, Walter asked.

“What about me?”, Ralph replied, “I love my mom and she tells me every day that she loves me too…That’s love between parents and children…I don’t think that’s the way my mom feels about you or how Megan feels about Sylvester. I think there’s a love between close friends too, like how everyone in Scorpion loves each other and would protect each other.”

“I understand that sort of love very well.”, Walter replied, “I also understand how your mother loves you and would do anything to protect you…I-I’d do the same…”

Ralph’s eyes lit up.

“You would?”, he asked excitedly.

“Of course I would…I feel like it’s my responsibility to be there and care for you.”, Walter replied.

Ralph smiled and sat next to Walter on the bed facing away from the bedroom door.

“Walter?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this what it feels like to have a dad to talk to?”, Ralph asked.

 “Well, I think that having a dad is much more than just having half of your DNA come from someone else, if that’s what you mean…”, Walter replied, “You see, my biological father and I are polar opposites. He’s a farmer and a shepherd, I’m a computer scientist/genius/vampire. He didn’t understand me and he tried to, but I think he gave up after a while…I didn’t really have a father figure until Cabe came along… I was about your age when I met him…”

“I understand.”, came Ralph’s hushed reply.

Walter glanced down at Ralph.

“I never had a father figure until you came along either…you already know what happened with Drew…”, Ralph said, his small voice breaking, “I know it’s not my fault, but sometimes I feel like it is…When I heard he had come back, I was expecting someone different…I was expecting Drew to have changed… but he wasn’t, he was still the same person he was when he abandoned my mom and I.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I-I never had someone who was like a son to me until I met you.”

There was a pause when Ralph sniffled a little and wiped his eyes.

Walter awkwardly placed a hand on Ralph’s shoulder, attempting to comfort the boy.

What happened next caught Walter completely off guard.

Ralph wrapped his arms around Walter’s torso and buried his face into his chest, his small shoulders shaking.

Walter did the only thing that felt natural and hugged Ralph back, letting him cry.

Cabe had done the same thing for him when Megan had gone through her first relapse and the priest was giving her the anointing of the sick and dying.

He had been terrified of losing his sister and Cabe had held him and let him cry.

“It’s okay, buddy…You’re okay…”, Walter murmured, “Let it all out…I’m not going anywhere…”

“P-Promise?”

Walter held him closer.

“I promise.”

Paige appeared in the doorway and placed her hand over her mouth as she saw her son crying into Walter’s shirt.

“Walter? Ralph? What’s wrong?”, Paige asked, rushing over to where they sat and kneeling down.

She placed her hand on Ralph’s back and rubbed gently.

“What happened?”, she asked.

“Nothing happened.”, Ralph sniffled, turning to look at his mom, his face still pressed against Walter’s chest, “I’m confused and it’s a pretty strong feeling, so it just came out…”

“About what?”, Paige asked, her voice soothing and gentle.

“I’m sad about Drew…I don’t think he ever loved me as his son…but at the same time I’m happy because Walter said I’m like a son to him…”

Paige smiled up at Walter and then wrapped her arms around the pair of geniuses.

“I’m glad…”, she murmured.

They sat there for a long time, engaging in more physical contact than Walter would have ever thought he’d be comfortable with.

“Uh…Walter?”, Ralph asked, his voice muffled.

They broke apart.

“Yeah?”

Ralph looked at his mom and she nodded in a reply to a silent question.

“Can I call you my stepdad, even though you and my mom aren’t married?”

Walter looked between Paige and Ralph and though carefully about his response.

“You know, I don’t really like that term…”, he replied, “How about you just call me dad?”

The way Ralph’s eyes lit up was all the confirmation he needed.

They went around for the rest of the day in a haze of joy, even as they packed and went to the store, and Walter grinned every time Ralph called him dad, as if he was meant to have that title.

Later on that night, Cabe joined them for dinner and when Ralph said, “Hey dad, can you please pass the salt?”, and Walter responded, the older halfling just grinned.

After dinner, Walter was up on the roof putting away his deck furniture in case they had bad weather while they were in Rome. Paige and Ralph were finishing packing downstairs and Cabe joined Walter on the roof to help him out.

“So, Ralph’s calling you dad now?”, Cabe asked.

“Yeah…it’s a recent development…”, Walter replied, “I figure that I’m the closest thing to a father that he has, he looks up to me, I’d do anything to protect him, and Drew is gone, so Ralph asked me about it earlier and I said yes.”

“Son, I’m proud of you…I just hope you realize that this isn’t only a very important commitment to Ralph, but it’s a commitment to Paige as well…”, Cabe replied, clapping Walter on the shoulder.

“I know.”, he replied, “Paige and I talked about it.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah…we discussed the mates thing…”

“So I would assume that things are heating up between the two of you?”, Cabe asked with a smirk.

Walter rolled his eyes.

“I think Toby is starting to wear off on you…”, he replied, “But yes.”

Cabe nodded.

“That’s all I wanted to know.”, Cabe said, “I’ll be downstairs getting ready for bed. Goodnight son.”

Cabe was halfway across the roof when Walter stopped him.

“Uh, Cabe… one more thing…”

Cabe turned and looked at Walter.

“What is it son?”

Walter inhaled and steadied himself.

“You were right.”

Cabe tilted his head a fraction of an inch to the side and Walter continued.

 “About love and mates…and Paige…”, he continued, “I-I was just too stubborn and in denial to see it then…but I understand it all now…”

“I’m glad.”

“Thank you.”, Walter said and then crossed the roof to hug the older halfling.

The rest of the night passed without incident and the next morning went smoothly, everyone as surprised as Cabe had been when Ralph called Walter his dad (Megan almost cried because, “I’m an aunt…I’m Aunt Megan…”, and Ralph began calling her that as well.)

By noon their plane was moving down the runway and leaving Los Angeles behind in a haze of thin clouds and moving out over open ocean.

 “Dad?”, Ralph asked as he looked out the window hours later, mesmerized as he was able to see the stars perfectly without all the light pollution he got in the city.

“Yeah?”, Walter whispered and leaned forward as Paige slept soundly in the seat between them.

“Are you excited?”

Walter thought for a moment.

“You know what, buddy? I am.”

Walter leaned back and closed his eyes.

“I really am.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter WILL be rated E for safety!


	12. Transformation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter WILL have some sexual elements, it's nothing too serious, but it's a lead in to chapter 13, which will be pure smut.
> 
> There will be a bit more Italian sprinkled throughout these next few chapters and I’m using Google Translate, so I apologize if it’s completely wrong. If you speak and read Italian and want to offer a correction, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ve never been to Rome before, so I’m relying on Google again for reference.
> 
> There are a lot of OC’s, so I apologize if that’s not your thing.
> 
> Thanks for the reviews so far and I hope you enjoy chapter 12!

 

It didn’t feel like hardly any time had passed at all before their plane touched down on the runway of a private airfield just outside of Rome.

Walter had nodded off sometime after they refueled and had woken up with Paige’s head on his shoulder and had watched her sleep for another hour or so, unable to do anything else because he was, for lack of a better term, mesmerized by the way she could be fast asleep and still look so beautiful.

They had all been awake since the sun had appeared over the horizon roughly five hours ago and then they had had an early lunch before they landed, so the day was still rather young here in Rome.

Walter rose from his seat and Paige held out her hand to Ralph when they looked out their window and saw a large congregation of other vampires standing near the edge of the tarmac, all of them wearing red and black with silver necklaces, which was pretty much the uniform for the _Vecchio Ordine_.

“Well, here we are.”, Hazel said and stood up before leading the way and disembarking.

Paige’s hand squeezed Walter’s as they stepped onto the pavement.

Walter inhaled, noting that most of the vampires here were also halflings and most of them appeared to know the visitors that had been with them.

He smiled as he saw Anthony and Zehra’s wide grins as a young male halfling came forward and clapped them on the shoulders.

Using the little bit of Italian that he had learned from the program he downloaded before they left Los Angeles, Walter recognized the words “brother” and “sister”, even though he could tell that none of them were related by blood.   

“Mum! Mamma!”, came the cries of three boys as they ran into Hazel and Victoria’s outstretched arms, closely followed by an older couple with greying hair and a young male vampire who had Hazel’s features with a young normal woman on his arm who appeared to be very pregnant.

The crowd was dissipating and the coven’s bags were being put into cars that would take them to the villa, but Hazel, Victoria, and their family remained.

“Benvenuto in Italia!”, Hazel said and turned to the coven, “Welcome to Italy!”

“Thank you.”, Paige replied, smiling at the family, “We’re honored to be here.”

Paige introduced the coven to the Guthridge family and then there was an awkward pause.

Victoria coughed and nudged Hazel.

“Oh! These are our sons. This is Niles, our oldest, he’ll be seventeen in a few months...”, she said, gesturing to an Indian boy who nodded.

“I’ll be turned a week after I turn seventeen...”, Niles replied, drawing himself up proudly to his full height, “And then I’ll enter the Order, just like my mothers did.”

“Congratulations...I thought I was going to be the only normal here...”, Paige said with a smile.

“Flynn, our middle child...you and Ralph will get along very well, I’m sure...”, Hazel said, nodding at her son who waved shyly at Ralph.

Walter smiled as Ralph waved back.

“And this is Mitchell...”, Victoria said, and a small boy peered out from behind her skirt, “He’s just a wee bit shy...say hello...”, Victoria coaxed softly.

“Ciao.”, came Mitchell’s hushed reply before he hid again.

“Aww...”, Megan cooed softly.

Paige smiled warmly and Walter could practically feel the relief rolling off of her in waves.

“This is my mother and father, Alicia and Robert...”

“How do you do?”, both of the older vampires said with a nod.

 “I’m Oliver, Hazel’s older brother...I live next door to you,” the younger male vampire said with a bright smile, “This is my wife Penelope...”

“Hi...”, Penelope said and beamed at all of them, placing her hands on her belly, “And this is baby Guthridge one and baby Guthridge two...”, she said, patting her bump gently.

“Miss Dineen, Aunt Penny isn’t a vampire either, so you’re not alone...”, Niles said to Paige.

“How did you--?”, Paige began.

“It’s only natural for humans to feel alienated in a place surrounded by vampires...”, Niles replied, “That and I read people very well.”

“Hear that Doc? Sounds like someone’s giving you a run for your money...”, Happy murmured, glancing at Toby, who shrugged.

“He knows his strengths and he has goals and a means of achieving them, that’s more than most adolescents have at his age.”, Toby replied before extending his hand to Niles, who shook it, “You should be proud of your skills.”

“Thank you, Dr. Curtis...When my mothers told me your coven was coming, I researched all of you...Miss Dineen, Miss O’Brien, Agent Gallo, how does it feel to be surrounded by geniuses all the time?”

“There’s never a dull moment with this group...”, Cabe replied, “They keep you on your toes.”

“I’m fairly used to being surrounded by geniuses, I grew up with one...”, Megan said and nodded to Walter.

“It’s a remarkable experience to be in the prescence of such great minds at work, but I think what is most rewarding is knowing their more human qualities and getting to know their personalities...my son is a genius and working with the cyclone has brought us closer together which I’m very happy about.”, Paige replied.

Niles nodded, satisfied with the answers he had recieved.

 “The cars are ready...”, one of the drivers said.

“Oh good...You have our numbers...”, Hazel said and gestured to the waiting cars as her family began walking in the direction of their respective cars, “We’ll come by later tonight to see how you’ve settled in...Perhaps our boys and Ralph can get better acquainted then...”

Ralph nodded and they went their separate ways.

They rode through the Italian countryside in almost complete silence before the cars all turned onto a long driveway and rode through a high gate before approaching a large red villa with ivy covering the majority of its façade.

A middle aged woman and man stood outside of the villa on the front steps, both dressed in all black.

 They smiled as the cars stopped and the coven clamored out, the gravel crunching beneath their feet.

“Benvenuti alla Villa Rossa!”, the male said, “Welcome to the Red Villa. I am Bruno Colandrea and this is my mate Maria, and we are the heads of the household here.”

The cyclone said their hellos, still in awe of their lavish living arrangements.

 “Totally beats Vegas...”, Happy murmured, “Check out the architecture...”    

“So what’s with the red exterior?”, Toby asked as they carried their bags in from the cars, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Well, the colors of the _Vecchio Ordine_ are red, black, and silver… A black villa would get too hot in the summer sun, and a silver villa, well, that’s just impractical…but a red villa is the color of blood, the very thing we need to survive, it’s the color of passion, and it’s also the color of flame, the one true element that can destroy us all for good…That and Regina Moretti’s favorite color is red…”, Maria replied with a shrug as they sat their bags in the foyer.

“That’s why it’s called Villa Rosso…”, Bruno said as they walked through the villa, giving them the tour.

Walter had to agree with Happy that the villa was incredibly designed, constructed, and decorated in a way that balanced modesty with luxury.

“Dinner is at seven o’clock but you’re welcome to help yourself to food or blood anytime…”, Bruno said as they walked through the spacious kitchen.

“Santana and Kimberly are our cooks and they’re usually here, but they went out to get some ingredients.”, Maria said as they looked around at the empty kitchen.

Paige nodded in the direction of the two refrigerators.

“I assume that the refrigerator with the red ribbon on the handle is for blood?”, she asked.

“Correct…”, Maria replied and opened the doors, “Animal blood is labeled with blue tags and it has all the information on what animal it comes from, whether it is foreign or domestic, and what the harvest date was. Human blood is labeled with yellow tags and it has all the information on the blood type, age, gender, diet, and the harvest date. The pink tags mean that it’s been purified.”

“No kill dates on the blood?”, Toby asked.

“We don’t kill our humans…we have a specific system in place and we work in conjunction with the blood banks to procure our blood. If there is a human blood shortage, we will switch to animal and we take great care of our livestock. The stocked game animals are for hunting, but we have a system for that too. If you kill an animal and drain it but do not intend to keep the carcass, bring it to Santana, he’ll carve it up and take it to a soup kitchen to be used there.”, Bruno explained.

“Waste not…”, Cabe murmured and nodded.

“As vampires, we have become a figment of imagination for most people. We’d like to keep ourselves well-hidden and preserve our safety as there are still people out there that want to eradicate us, but at the same time, we want to help those who are less fortunate. The benefactors donate to or run their own charity organizations, the healers participate in Doctors Without Borders and run clinics, the enforcers are involved in numerous volunteer organizations, and the gifted ones give back to the community in a way that works with their gifts.”, Maria explained.

 “We may be vampires but a great deal of us aren’t the heartless, soulless creatures of darkness that we are rumored to be.”, Bruno added.

The tour continued and soon they were back in the foyer.

“So which rooms are ours?”, Megan asked, “Not to be rude or anything, but I didn’t sleep much on the plane, so I am extremely exhausted and I’d like to take a nap before dinner.”

The rest of the cyclone murmured in agreement.

“Of course…”, Maria said, “You’re Megan O’Brien, right?”

“The one and only.”, Megan said with a smile.

“Ah, follow me. You and Sylvester Dodd are sharing a room…”, Maria said and took some of their bags before climbing the stairs that led to the west wing of the villa.

“Thank you so much…”, Sylvester said and followed Megan and Maria.

“I suppose the rest of you would like to see your rooms?”, Bruno asked.

The rest of the coven nodded and agreed to help carry the bags to the rooms.

Ralph was tired so they dropped him off at his room next to Cabe’s on the south side of the villa.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get a room big enough for you any closer to Ralph…”, Bruno explained to Paige and Walter.

“Don’t worry, I’m right next door to keep an eye on him…”, Cabe said, ruffling Ralph’s hair.

“Will you be okay down here on your own?”, Walter asked as Paige knelt down and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Ralph nodded sleepily.

“Dad?”, he asked.

“Yeah buddy?”, Walter replied, turning to face the boy.

“I think I’m gonna like it here.”, he replied.

Walter and Paige smiled and then Ralph yawned.

“Get some rest…”, Paige said and Ralph nodded before closing the door behind himself.

Paige sighed in a weary, almost worried way and Cabe patted her on the back.

“I’ll keep an eye on him…”

“Thank you.”, Walter said and Cabe nodded before entering his own room.

Happy and Toby’s rooms were located next door to each other on the lower floor of the west wing and they had a Jack and Jill bathroom between the two rooms.

“Okay, so we need to definitely figure out some sort of system for the bathroom situation…”, Toby said.

“We’ll figure something out…besides, these doors lock from both sides…”, Happy said, examining the locks, “We’ll be fine…just as long as there’s no weirdness.”, she said before retreating into her room.

Paige leaned over to the shrink before muttering, “So, getting together? How’s that coming along?”

“I knew you could hear me!”, Toby hissed and Paige shared a grin with Walter.

“Aw, don’t be that way…” “That’s real mature, Toby…”, Paige and Walter said as Toby gave them the finger and disappeared into his room.

Maria returned and she and Bruno led the way up the stairs to the east wing.

“Since you are the head of the coven, we were instructed to place you and Miss Dineen in the master bedroom.”, Maria said as they ascended and were faced with a set of doors at the landing.

“Here are your keys…”, Bruno said and handed Paige and Walter their own keys, “We’ll see you at dinner.”

“Thanks, uh, I hate to be a bother, but do you have a map of the grounds?”, Paige asked, “I’m going to be changed and, well, I kind of want to do it away from the villa…Hazel Guthridge told me that you had a cottage that would be perfect for it…”

“We don’t have a map, but if you stand on the balcony in your room and look out over the grounds, you can see the garden. If you follow the main garden path, you’ll come across a fork in the path with a fountain to the left and a stone garden arch to the right. Go through the arch and you should come to the cottage. The key will be under the pot with the purple flowers painted on it…”, Maria replied.

“I have a bag for you to take down with you…”, Bruno said before leaving to go and get it.

“No, that’s fine…”, Paige and Walter said at the same time.

“We already have it made up…”, Maria replied, “Just in case someone needs some space…”

“Uh, just how small is this cottage?”, Walter asked.

“Well, there are four rooms in all. On the ground level, it’s an open room that combines the kitchen, dining area and living room and then there’s a small library with a very comfortable chaise. Upstairs there is a bathroom and the bedroom. If you go out the back bedroom doors, there is a balcony that’s just perfect for watching the sunset. Calling it a small garden cottage isn’t accurate, it’s not that small, but it can hardly be considered a house…”, Maria replied.

“When did you plan on changing?”, Bruno asked, returning with the bag.

“Um, well, it’s only a little after noon right now and I’m not that tired…How are you feeling?”, Paige asked Walter.

“I’m fine.”, he replied.

“Good, I think we can be ready by one-thirty or two o’clock…I can be changed by five o’clock at the latest and we can be back up at the Villa by dinnertime… Does that sound okay?”, Paige asked Walter.

Walter nodded but he was surprised that Paige would want to be turned so soon.

“Very well…here is the bag. Good luck.”, Maria said and Bruno nodded before descending the stairs and leaving Walter and Paige alone.

“Well, should we go see the room?”, Walter asked after a moment of silence and Paige nodded.

The room was spacious and it was lit pretty well for being the middle of the day but Paige walked over to the windows and pulled the heavy drapes aside even more, letting the light shine in through the gauzy curtains and further illuminate the lavish room.

There was a fireplace against one of the outside walls and there was a large painting of some roses hanging over the mantle.

 _“Well, that must be nice in the winter.”_ , Walter thought to himself before looking around at the rest of the room.

There were two identical wardrobes and dividers strategically placed to create separate dressing areas and there were a few chairs and tables sitting around to give the large space a more lived in feeling, but the bed was definitely the focal point of the room, far surpassing what either of them had expected it to be.

It was a California king bed with a canopy frame and intricately carved designs in the dark wood with a matching storage bench at the foot of it. Light gauzy curtains identical to the ones at the window hung from the frame and Paige made a noise of excitement and flopped down on the bed with a sigh before sitting up on her elbows and patting the mattress next to her and toeing off her flats.

Walter smiled at his girlfriend before removing his shoes and flopping down next to her onto the plain cream colored bedlinens, disturbing the mountain of throw pillows and making Paige giggle.

“I thought you weren’t tired?”, Walter asked as she turned onto her side and became his little spoon.  

“I’m not…I just know that you said you’d miss me being so warm, so I-I kind of wanted to begin to accept the fact that I’m going to go to bed tonight with you as a vampire…”, she said, a slight waver in her voice accompanied by a sniffle.

“Hey, Paige… y-you don’t have to get changed…”, Walter said and pulled Paige close.

“No, my mind’s made up…I’m doing this and I’m doing it today… I’m sorry if that put you on the spot back there…”, Paige replied.

“What do you mean?”, Walter asked, propping himself up on his elbow and looking down at Paige.

“I kind of felt like I was twisting your arm by making you answer my question in front of Bruno and Maria.”, Paige replied, shivering a little as she gazed up into her boyfriend’s beautiful brown eyes.

“No, it’s fine…I’m just wondering if we should go through with this without Ralph…”, Walter said and Paige groaned.

“Oh man…”, she said and put her hands over her eyes, “How could I forget my own son?”

Walter smiled a little sadly and shrugged.

“We can go wake him up and see if he wants to go with us to the cottage…I mean, there’s a comfortable chaise that he can nap on while you’re changing upstairs…”  

Paige sat up and ran her fingers through her loose chestnut waves before shrugging.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to ask…”, she replied.

“Good, now I want to get unpacked so we can enjoy the evening…”, Walter said and unzipped his suitcase before beginning to fill one of the wardrobes with his clothes.

Paige let out a small laugh, causing Walter to face her.

“What’s so funny?”, he asked.

Paige shook her head.

“Nothing…It’s just that for all the times you mention efficiency, I thought you’d be one of those people who lives out of their suitcases when they go on trips…”, she replied, unzipping her suitcase and beginning to fill the other wardrobe.

“If it were just a short trip to Vegas for the weekend or up to Washington to hunt, I’d live out of my luggage or backpack but since there’s no telling exactly how long we’ll be here, and it’s a different crowd, I figure I’d better make myself at home and dress smart. After all, don’t you always talk about the importance of a good first impression?”, Walter replied.

“This is true…”, Paige said and pulled her dressing robe out of her luggage.

Walter watched her in the mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door and she seemed to be debating whether to hang it in the bathroom or on the inside of her wardrobe door.

She eventually settled for bathroom and Walter watched her walk over to the bathroom before going back to his work.

He was halfway through hanging one of his shirts up when he heard her gasp.

“Walter!

He was at her side in a second, the shirt laying forgotten on the floor.

“What’s wrong?”, he asked, taking in her stunned features and then he stopped short as they both looked around at the spacious and luxurious bathroom.

“Not a blessed thing is wrong with this…”, Paige murmured in awe and Walter would have had to agree.

The room itself was a rich cream color and the ceiling was vaulted with plants perched around the room. They walked on richly colored marble floors that perfectly offset the cream colored furniture and matching pale marble countertops.

Happy had been so right about the architecture, it was amazing.

“Is that a chandelier over the bathtub?”, Paige murmured in surprise.

“Yup.”, Walter replied, noting the double doors that no doubt led out onto a balcony.

There were a couple of round red Persian rugs that sat under very old tables in the room that held candelabras and miniature statues of Roman goddesses. The warm lighting that came from the sconces over the two vanity tables and sinks gave the room a very down to earth feeling which was strange given the lavish space they illuminated.

There was a large corner tub in an alcove with pillars supporting the ceiling and it was lined with stained glass windows on one side and red satin drapes on the other side that matched the color scheme very well. Off to one side of the room was a walk in shower in matching marble tones with a red satin curtain that could be drawn for privacy.

“But where is the toilet?”, Paige murmured.

Walter pointed to two dark stained wood doors at the far end of the bathroom on either side of the shower and said, “My guess is that they’re back here…”

Sure enough, there were two separate toilets and bidets.

They spent a few more minutes looking through the cabinets and Walter sighed with relief when he found the water valve and the fire extinguisher. The last thing he wanted was to have something like a toilet back up or a candle to fall over and set one of the rugs on fire, because even as guests, they would be held liable for any damages, and Walter didn’t have a couple hundred grand just lying around to pay to replace a priceless art piece.   

“They really covered all the bases when they designed this place…”, Paige murmured as she brought her toiletries and makeup bags in and placed them on her vanity, “Now to check out the view…”, she said and opened the double doors and stepped out onto the balcony with Walter close beside her.

“Oh, isn’t that wonderful…”, Paige sighed as they looked out across the sprawling green grounds.

The breeze blew and Paige stepped forward, her hair floating in the breeze and pushing her natural scent back to where Walter was standing.

He watched her as the sunlight caught her hair and brought out her natural highlights. Walter felt his eyes shifting to scarlet gradually and he admired her with his enhanced vision. He could hear her heart beating faster and see her chest expanding in a deep inhalation and there was something so pure about it that he felt the corners of his lips tugging up in a smile at the sight.

Walter’s watch beeped and Paige turned to him.

“I guess it’s time…”, Paige said and grabbed her bag as well as the one for the cottage.

Walter grabbed his laptop bag and Paige gave him a look.

“You’re going to be doing work while I’m changing?”, she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Walter shook his head and his cheeks went red.

“I-I was going to put on some music that you might find relaxing, you know, to ease your nerves a bit…”, he replied.

Paige blushed a little and leaned in to press a kiss to her boyfriend’s cheek.

“Walter O’Brien, sometimes you surprise me…”

“Sometimes I surprise myself.”, Walter replied, causing Paige to laugh a little.

She didn’t need to know that he had taken to carrying condoms in his laptop bag, just in case…He didn’t know how soon after her changes that they might have a moment, but if and when it happened, he sure as hell wanted to be prepared for it.

Walter took Paige’s hand and the cottage bag and led her out of their room and down the stairs to where Ralph’s room was located.

Paige knocked on the boy’s door and Ralph came to the door.

“Who is it?”, Ralph asked blearily through the wood of the door.

“It’s me, mom…”, Paige replied, and the door opened to reveal Ralph standing there in his rocket pajamas and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “Walter and I were going to go down to the cottage where I would be changed, do you want to come?”, Paige asked.

Ralph yawned and replied.

“No offense mom, but I’m really jet lagged…I love you and I wish you the best of luck, but I’d only get in the way of things…”

“There’s a chaise there you can sleep on if you need to.”, Paige suggested.

“Megan said that she was screaming while she was changing…I don’t think I can sleep through that….”, Ralph stated, swaying on his feet.

“Okay then sweetie…”, Paige said and scooped her son up into her arms and carried him back to his bed with Walter following closely behind the pair.

He pulled the covers back on the bed and Paige laid Ralph down on the bed and pulled the covers back over his body. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and Walter smoothed his hair down before they turned to leave.

“Mom? Dad?”, Ralph called softly from behind them.

“Yes?” “What is it, buddy?”, Paige and Walter said as they turned to face Ralph.

“If you don’t come back by dinner, I’ll be okay…have fun getting used to your vampire skills.”

Paige sniffled and crossed back to hold her son one last time as a human and Ralph placed his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

Walter watched the exchange from a distance until Ralph opened his eyes again and held out his hand to Walter.

He crossed the room and embraced Paige and Ralph.

“Paige?”, came Cabe’s voice from out in the hall as the older agent peered into the room, “I didn’t mean to interrupt the moment, but I was wondering if I could have a word with you outside.”

Paige nodded and they broke apart. Paige kissed Ralph one more time before slowly getting up and leaving the room.

Walter heard them speaking about something concerning a baggage mix up at the airport, how his bag must have been switched by accident with one of the enforcer’s bags and if Paige had Hazel’s number so he could locate the bag’s proper owner.

She gave Cabe Hazel’s number, heard him wish her good luck and then heard him go back into his room.

Paige called Oliver to ask him to unlock the gate that was near the cottage and Walter turned back to Ralph.

 “Dad?”, Ralph asked, yawning.

“Yeah buddy?”

“Take care of my mom, okay?”, Ralph murmured.

“I will.”, Walter replied.

“Promise?”, Ralph said and held up his pinky finger.

Walter smirked and wrapped his pinky around Ralph’s.

“I promise.”

Ralph smiled and leaned back onto his pillows.

“Hey Ralph?”

“Hmm?”, he hummed, raising his eyebrows just like his mother often did.

“What do you think of this place?”

“I really like it…the bathroom has a lot of marble in it, so I think that’s kind of a slipping hazard, but other than that, I like it…I can’t wait to go swimming and see the rest of the grounds. What do you think?”

“Well, I like what I’ve seen so far.”, Walter replied, tucking the blankets in around Ralph as he spoke.

“Walter…”, Paige called softly.

“Yeah?”, he said, turning to face her.

She took a deep breath.

“It’s time.”

“Good luck…”, Ralph said as Walter rose and exited the room, closing the door behind himself.

 They stopped in the kitchen to grab some blood and a female vampire with close cropped bubblegum pink dyed hair, a British accent, lots of tattoos, and a lip piercing smiled at them.

“Hello… you must be from the Scorpion coven…”, she said and extended her hand, “I’m Kimberly, the pastry chef, but you can just call me Kim…Can I get you anything?”

“Yeah, a cooler with six units of human blood. I have no type preference and non-purified is acceptable…”, Walter replied.

“Coming right up…”, Kim said and fixed them their cooler.

“You’re from Los Angeles, right?”, she asked, “What’s it like?”

“Well, I’m originally from Ireland.”, Walter replied, “But Los Angeles is just like every other major city I’ve ever visited, except for one thing.”

“What’s that?”, Kim asked.

“Traffic.”, Walter and Paige replied in unison.

“Ah, I’m from London, so I know how that is…”, Kim replied.

“I noticed there are a lot of British vampires here, is that intentional or accidental?”, Paige asked.

“Both…some British vampire families, like the Guthridge family, act as their own subcoven, and their elders are in the _Vecchio Ordine_ , so they live here for the mother coven…other vampires such as myself came here to learn a trade, such as cooking, and we sort of got sucked into the _Vecchio Ordine_.”, Kim replied and handed them their cooler.

“I have a question…”, Walter said and Kim nodded for him to continue, “Why are there chefs in a place where the standard fare is only blood?”

“Well, most covens and vampires don’t stick to a strict all blood diet and I’ve noticed that more and more vampires are drinking blood with normal meals. Either way is fine, but the way I see things, most of us have eaten regular food at some time in our lives before drinking blood and we have more taste receptors, so why waste them by drinking blood all the time? Most of us view ourselves and vampires in general as immortals because of our long lives, but that’s not true, we can die and be killed, so why waste our time with dull unappealing blood alone. Enjoy eating and enjoy life, that’s my motto.”, Kim replied.

  Paige nodded.

“I like that. Thank you, Kim…”, Paige said and Kim nodded as they left the kitchen through the back doors that led out onto the large covered porch.

They walked down the stairs and through the garden in silence, the only sounds coming from the gravel crunching under their feet, the birds twittering around them and the rustle of the wind through the trees.

Paige’s scent was growing nervous and her body was beginning to display the signs of fear.

When they reached the stone arch, Paige clutched Walter’s hand and she paused in her tracks as if to say something, but began walking again before Walter could question her on it.

“Well, here we are…”, Paige said as they rounded a bend in the path and came to the cottage, “What pot was it? Purple painted flowers?”

“Yeah.”, Walter replied and Paige fumbled for the key before unlocking the door.

Walter could tell that her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing and yet she was so set on being changed that he didn’t mention it.

“Now this is much more my speed…”, Paige breathed as they entered the cottage.

She immediately began opening windows to let the air circulate and Walter placed the bag that Bruno had given him on the dining room table and put the units of blood in the small refrigerator and soon the room was aired out.

Paige went upstairs with her bag and fluffed the pillows up on the bed, noticing that there were fresh sheets already on it, her stomach turning a little as she realized that in less than an hour, she would be in excruciating pain, undergoing a transformation that would give her a new lease on life.

 _“It’s only for a few hours and you’ll get centuries of life in exchange…You endured pain for a lot longer than that when Ralph was being born, so this should be a piece of cake for you.”_ , she thought as she opened the windows and aired out the loft.

 _“Walter will be by your side through the whole thing…you can do this together…”_ , she thought, _“Besides, this could be the night that you end up going all the way with him…who knows, if you both experience euphoria and act upon it, you’ll be bonded mates…practically married to each other!”_

Paige’s stomach flip-flopped at the thought.

_“Married. In the eyes of the Vecchio Ordine, you’ll be married to Walter O’Brien and he will be married to you.”_

Paige smiled and glanced down at the lingerie she had secretly packed in her bag, just in case the mood shifted after she woke up.

A wave of anxiety washed over her again as she thought about how long it had been since the last time she had had sex.

 _“What if I’m awful at it, like Drew always said I was…Oh God, what if I just lay there all stiff and awkward? It’ll be like my first time all over again…”_ , she thought.

Downstairs, Walter rummaged through the bag that Bruno had given him and found a bottle of wine with a tag in the shape of a butterfly on it that read:

_“To Paige for whenever you decide to change. To Walter so that you will be bold enough to help her through it. To the both of you for the aftermath, whatever that may be. Cheers! ~ Love, Megan”_

Walter smiled at the tag and then decided that, just this once, he could make an exception and have a drink in celebration after Paige woke up, so he put the bottle in the small refrigerator with the blood.

He heard footsteps on the stairs looked over to see Paige as she sat down on the chaise in the small library and scanned the walls for any titles that were in English that she might be familiar with.

Walter looked around and sighed.

The cottage was quaint and cozy but had large windows with white curtains that floated in the gentle breeze. The walls were painted lavender and the woodwork was stained a golden oak color that made the space seem a little bit bigger than it was.

Dried herbs hung in the kitchen above a stone fireplace and a spinet piano sat in the main room near a large window that faced the garden.

Although it wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, he was happy to see that Paige had calmed down significantly since their arrival.

“It reminds me of my grandmother’s house…”, Paige said fondly, her scent changing to that of nostalgia.

“The cottage?”, Walter clarified and Paige nodded.

It was rare for Paige to mention her family at all and he realized with a flash of guilt that he barely knew the first thing about her past except that she had been in college when she met Drew and had dropped out when Ralph was born.

Walter sat down next to her on the chaise.

“You’ve never mentioned your grandmother…What was she like?”, he asked.

 “She was a wonderful woman…she had this house that was really similar to this cottage and she lived there with my grandfather and their pets. They had one border collie named Sam, an orange tabby named Ginger, and a cockatiel named Daisy. I would go over there when my parents were away on business trips and they’d watch me.”

“What were your grandparent’s names?”, Walter asked.

“My grandmother’s name was Margaret Rose Lewis and my grandfather’s name was Raphael Alexander Lewis.”, she replied.

“Is Ralph by any chance named after your grandfather?”, Walter asked.

Paige nodded.

“Ralph was my grandfather’s nickname…”, she replied.

“I assume they were your maternal grandparents?”

Paige nodded.

“I never met my paternal grandparents, they died before I was born. According to my dad, his father died in some freak accident and his mother disappeared a month after the funeral. She left a letter and said she was traveling, and years later, my father learned that she had passed away, but he never saw a body, so who knows what really happened.”, she replied, “But I named Ralph after my grandfather because I had a feeling that he was special…My grandfather was a very smart man. He and my grandmother had both been teachers and they dedicated their lives to teaching.”

“Teaching is one of the most noble professions there is.”, Walter replied.

“You hated your teachers.”, Paige said, smirking at him.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t decent teachers out there.”

Paige laughed a little at his words and reached over to hold Walter’s hand.

“It’s funny how life works out like that…how I had a feeling about Ralph and ended up being more than right…”, she said.

Walter nodded.

They sat in the comfortable silence of each other’s company and Walter didn’t know how much time had passed before his watch beeped once to signal that it was half past the hour, breaking the silence.

“You should probably drink that blood now.”, Paige murmured a few moments later, her voice barely above a whisper.

This was all becoming so real to her and she couldn’t quite believe it. She was glad, however, that Walter hadn’t mentioned her anxiety, after all, this was something that she wanted desperately, and she’d have to endure the pain and suffering to get there whether she liked it or not.  

“You should go upstairs and get ready…”, Walter said and pressed a very gentle kiss to the back of her hand before rising and getting the blood out of the refrigerator and opening up the first unit, downing it in one long drag.

He hadn’t tasted human in so long and was reminded of just how much more metallic and sweet it tasted than animal blood…drinking now would take the edge off when he bit Paige and drew some of her blood to replace it with his venom.

Paige stood on shaky legs and walked slowly out of the room and up the iron spiral staircase to the loft.

She went into the bathroom and began freshening up, taking off her makeup, changing her clothes to a pair of basketball shorts and Walter's UCLA tee shirt, and taking a selfie so she could compare it to the one she’d take after her transformation was complete.  

Paige padded softly across the hardwood floors to the balcony and opened the doors, letting the breeze blow through.

Now she had never been highly religious, but in that moment, Paige fell to her knees and prayed to whatever higher being was listening that this would all go well for all parties involved.

She was so oblivious that she didn’t hear Walter behind her until she was finished praying and got up off her knees as he cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry…I-I didn’t mean to disturb you…”, Walter said as he sat his laptop on a small table on the other side of the room and put his speakers on either one of the bedside tables.

“No, no…you’re fine…”

A soft waltz began to play and Paige smiled as Walter glanced up at her.

“Walter…”, she murmured softly.

“I wanted to make this special…I know that you’re scared…so am I…I-I’ve never done this before, but I wanted you to be comforted by that, not concerned…This will be a new experience for both of us…so while we’re on the topic of trying new things,”, Walter said and then held out his hand to Paige, “May I have this dance?”

Paige blushed and nodded, placing her hand in his.

“I’d be honored.”

Walter pulled her close, recalling the last time they danced, how she had forced him to do it but he had ended up enjoying himself and he swayed her gently to the music.

“This is the first time I’ve ever really asked anyone to dance…”, Walter confessed as Paige nuzzled her cheek against his and sighed contentedly.

“You’re doing a marvelous job…”, she murmured.

The song began to end and Walter guided Paige to the bed and she laid down and faced Walter, who knelt at the side of the low platform bed.

He felt Paige’s heartbeat increase.

“So… this is it then…”, Paige murmured, her mind blank.

“It is only if you want it to be.”, he replied.

Paige nodded.

“I want it.”, she replied bravely.

Walter nodded and his eyes changed from warm brown to a deep red from all the human blood he had ingested and Paige shivered before taking a deep breath.

Walter got one more glimpse of her beautiful brown eyes before they would be filled with pain and she closed them as he leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips before brushing her hair off her neck.

“Should I count back from three?”, he asked, recalling his sister’s transformation.

Paige nodded.

“Ready?”

She nodded again.

Walter inhaled and exhaled and held Paige’s hand.

“Three.”, he focused all his venom on his fangs.

“Two.”, her pulse accelerated in her carotid artery as Paige braced herself, her mind racing.

She could feel Walter’s lips hovering over her artery.

“One.”, Walter whispered and inhaled sharply as his fangs pierced Paige’s skin and her sweet, hot blood filled his mouth as he sucked, his venom replacing the blood that he had removed.

Paige was shaking and he had to tell himself that he only had a second more to bite her.

Her hand was crushing his and finally he let up, the puncture wounds closing immediately as she whimpered.

He swallowed thickly, choking on her blood until he coughed and quickly recovered, wiping his mouth with his hand.

His sister’s pain had been so intense that she had blacked out almost immediately, but Paige was in a hazy state and was able to partially vocalize.

Her eyes were opened wide in a shocked, distant, and unseeing sort of way.

She rasped a few words and Walter just watched in shock as she did.

“Fire in my veins.”, came her dry sob before she fell limp and blacked out, her eyes rolling back into her head.

Walter held his breath as she began to have a seizure and placed his hand to her heart, which was fluttering erratically within her rib cage.

Soon enough, she fell limp again but he could hear her pain, sense it in his mind, just as he had for Megan, and it was just as strong now as it had been then.

Paige remained still for a long time, twitching occasionally and Walter never moved from her side.

He was worried, so he began to speak to her.

“Hey, uh, Paige…I don’t know if you can hear me… I don’t think you can, so here it goes…I wanted to tell you about the day I met you.”

He paused as Paige shook.

“When I woke up on the morning of Monday, September 22nd, 2014, I had only two objectives. The first was to do my job and fix the Wi-Fi at the diner where you worked. The second was to break up with Janice…I-I never thought my entire world would change that day…”

Walter let out a short bark of laughter as he remembered that day.

“That was the day from hell, but it brought me to you, so it was all worth it…Sly didn’t pay the bills, Happy had to steal electricity from the neighbors, Toby almost got beat up by a pit boss, thousands of people almost died, and you, you saved them…you were brave enough to risk your life to save others and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to place my trust in than you…Ralph is so lucky to have a mother as amazing and as caring and as brave as you are.”

Paige twitched some more and he gripped her hand tighter.

“That day, I met you and Ralph and my life became brighter and so much more confusing and interesting than I ever thought it would be. From there on out, I was focused on being your friend and a mentor to Ralph, but for all the defenses I put around my all-too-human emotions, I guess you were too much for me, so I gave in to my emotions and, for once in my life, I became human…and I am so happy that I did.”

Walter sighed and felt himself tearing up.

“B-but now…I need you to be strong…I know you can do it…I know you can make it through this and I’m sorry it hurts so bad…but you need to stay strong, okay Paige?”

Walter lapsed into silence and then he checked his watch.

It had been an hour of silence and thrashing around.

It was only a matter of time before she began screaming.

He gazed at Paige and frowned when he saw how her features and scent clearly reflected intense pain and then he felt guilty for letting her do this.

He should have addressed her anxiety earlier.

She shouldn’t have gone through with this.

Walter was pacing, his heart full of doubt, when a bloodcurdling scream was ripped from Paige’s throat and pierced the silence.

The first time he heard it, it sliced right through him like a knife through his heart and he knew that the next couple of hours would be the longest and most difficult of his life.

It had been one thing when it was Megan screaming her head off, but now that it was Paige, he felt like he was being torn apart and wondered vaguely if this was how Sylvester felt while Megan was changing.

It was too much for him to bear and he felt like running away and waiting until it was over, but he promised her that he would stay with her.

He backed away from the bed where Paige was thrashing around violently and screaming and when his back hit the wall, he slid down to the floor.

He had done this to her and now he felt like he was going insane listening to her. 

He would have called himself a fool a year ago for feeling anything and would have called this a necessary evil for the greater good.

His whole life had been built around the greater good and efficiency and he had been no smarter or morally (or even literally) richer for it.

He didn’t truly begin living until the moment he glanced at Paige at the end of that runway after they saved all those people and saw that she was shaken but still okay.

Now it felt like he was dying.

He watched Paige as she screamed herself hoarse, until the moment she tried to scream but couldn’t because her voice had failed her.

Somehow the silence was worse, even if there was soft music still playing in the background.  

Her screams still rang in his head and for once, he cursed his good memory. He could remember every bad experience he had ever had. Hearing and seeing how much pain Paige was in was enough to drive him insane.

It was worse than being down the Rabbit Hole, but for all the bad things he was thinking of right now, he prayed that Paige found that the change was worthwhile.

An hour and a half’s worth of silent screams and thrashing later, Paige fell limp on the bed and Walter exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath.

He tentatively rose and walked over to her, his footsteps not making a sound on the hardwood floors, the soft music changing to an almost haunting tune that she had said was the end credits song from a show she used to watch as a child called _“The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends”_.

Back then, when she told him about it, he had been intrigued because he knew very little about her and also because she had taken comfort in something like a song and he didn’t understand how she could find a song comforting.

He understood now as he watched her face become relaxed as if she was sleeping and then he heard the sharp pop from her nose as it got straighter.

Walter recalled what Toby had said when Megan was changing and the same thing happened to her.

_“…she must have had a deviated septum…”_

Walter pulled the stool from the vanity over to the edge of the bed and watched as Paige changed before his eyes.

Her hair got a few inches longer in seconds and her skin tone became more even. Her scars that he had marveled over not even a few days ago melted away and disappeared into her new, smooth skin. Her eyelashes became slightly longer and the dark circles beneath her eyes vanished along with the faint laugh lines around her eyes. Her nails got longer and the minor scars on her hands from various kitchen accidents (no doubt from her waitressing jobs) vanished.

Her shirt rode up during her movements and he saw the faint white stretch marks from her pregnancy fade into her renewed complexion.

Her lips became fuller and then she began to hum as her features became more defined.

He blinked and his eyes went back to being red and he reached down to hold her hand, her scent still reflecting intense pain.

Her skin was colder than his was now, but he could feel it beginning to warm up a little.

“Paige, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I want you to know just how beautiful you are…”, Walter said and paused, thinking about his next words, “A year ago, I wouldn’t have given you the time of day, but that’s only because I was a fool. You and Ralph have made me the man I am today and I-I intend to spend the rest of my life making this world a better place for you and Ralph…”

Paige’s humming grew louder as her hear slowed exponentially.

Her pain was fading and being replaced with her normal scent.

Soon she would wake up.

“The truth is…I-I need you and I adore you…with all my heart and soul and with every fiber of my being…”, he whispered as he leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “and I never thought that was possible, but you came along and proved me wrong…and for that, I thank you…”

He paused and brushed a stray lock of hair off her forehead.

“I love you, Paige Dineen…”

He didn’t know it then, but Paige had heard every word.

It was almost three hours since he had bitten her and Paige had been very still and silent for minutes.

Was she awake?

Was she asleep?

He had no idea.

He didn’t know that Paige was feeling very weak but quickly gaining strength.

She was no longer in pain and she mustered her strength.

Paige could hear Walter speaking and could make out his words clearly.

 _“I’m almost there…”_ , she thought, summoning her energy.

Then she heard him say the words that she would have never expected to hear.

_“I love you, Paige Dineen…”_

Somehow his words gave her strength and something told her that once she opened her eyes, she would feel much stronger.

She inhaled deeply and a soft warm scent filled her nostrils. It smelled like Walter’s cologne and aftershave mingled with fabric softener and the faintest traces of solder and coffee. She heard the slow beating of a heart.

 _“That must be Walter…”_ , she thought and just being able to finally experience scent as a vampire was an impressive experience.

She felt his hand tighten slightly around hers and that brought her back to the task at hand: opening her eyes.

“Paige?”, Walter murmured, watching as her eyelids twitched.

She was summoning all her energy to her eyelids and Walter said her name, giving her that extra boost she needed.

Her eyelids fluttered and opened before closing again at the bright light.

Paige gasped as all the colors seemed brighter and more vibrant.

Her vision was perfect and that split second had proved it.

 _"This has to be a dream. There’s no way colors are like that now."_ , she thought.

“Paige?”, Walter murmured softly, watching her blink quickly and hearing her gasp.

Paige turned onto her side and then sat up, facing Walter, her eyes still closed.

She wanted him to see her eyes first, because she remembered how powerful the moment had been when Megan’s eyes opened for the first time after her transformation.

She moved her tongue around in her mouth and inhaled sharply when she felt her fangs.

She reached for Walter’s other hand and he grasped her hand, holding it firmly in his.

“Whenever you’re ready…”, he murmured, his voice warm and loving.

Paige inhaled his scent and spoke her first words.

“I’m ready.”

Her voice was clear as a bell and melodic and if Walter hadn’t been in love with her before, he most certainly was now.

Paige counted to three in her mind and opened her eyes.

They both gasped.

Paige gasped because she finally got to see Walter with brand new eyes and he was gazing at her with such wonder, his mouth slightly agape with surprise and Paige felt herself blushing.

Walter had gasped because of how beautiful her eyes were.

They were a deep ruby color with flecks of copper and gold, so much more expressive and vivid than any other vampire's he had seen.

“Hey.”, she whispered.

“Hey.”, he replied.

“Is everything okay?”, Paige asked tentatively.

Walter sighed.

“You’re perfect…”, he replied, making her blush deeper.

She smiled and then sniffed.

 _“What is that awful smell?”_ , she thought and sniffed her shirt, which smelled like her detergent and fabric softener and the soap she used.

She brought her arm to her face and sniffed before frowning, an act that didn’t go unnoticed by Walter.

“What’s wrong?”, he asked.

“I smell funny…”, Paige muttered, “And it’s not my clothes, it’s me…”

“Well, here, let me go get the blood and you can drink it while I get some candles ready…after all, it’s a little past five o’clock now, so the sun will be going down and, as much as I enjoy having night vision, I don’t think that it’s the appropriate setting to utilize it…”, Walter said.

Paige nodded.

“I do feel kind of thirsty…”, she said and brushed her hair back behind her ear, “I’ll have the blood and then I’ll hop in the shower…then, hopefully, I’ll feel a little bit more like myself.”

“Well, you wait here, I’ll be back in a minute.”, Walter said and left the loft.

He could hear Paige walking around upstairs, heard her twirl in a circle as he pulled the blood from the refrigerator, and then he was back upstairs in time to see her get in front of the full length mirror and gasp.

 “Is everything okay?”, Walter asked as he cut the top of the tube open on the bag.

Paige nodded.

“I’m fine, I’m just…well… _amazed_ at how I look now…”, she replied and crossed back over to him, “I mean, my hair grew a whole two and a half inches… that certainly didn’t happen when Megan turned…my bangs are practically gone…”, she lifted up her shirt, baring her stomach before dropping it again and looking at her hands, “my stretch marks are gone…so are my scars…I-I feel like a whole new woman…”

Walter approached her and held out the blood bag to her.

“Not just any woman…a vampire…drink up.”, he said and Paige carefully took the blood bag from him, “And the reason why Megan’s hair didn’t grow was because she had a lot of healing to do, so her body needed all that energy to close her wounds, heal the scarring in her lungs, and repair the damage done to the myelin sheaths on the axons in her nervous system.”

Paige nodded and smelled the bag, her brows knitting together.

“It smells a bit weird…”, Paige muttered.

“Human has a funny smell to it, but I promise that you’ll get used to it in no time.”

Paige lifted the bag slightly.

“Cheers.”

She took a sip and the moment the blood hit her tongue, it was like a hole was filled that she didn’t know she had and she immediately sucked down the rest of the bag.                

Walter smirked at his girlfriend.

“You’re a natural.”, he murmured and handed her the next pint, which she drank slower.

“It’s got sort of a sweet taste to it but it still has a tangy aftertaste…”, Paige said between sips, “It’s surprisingly more filling than what I thought it would be…like a protein shake…”

“You starting to get full?”, he asked and handed her the third and final pint.

Paige nodded and he smiled.

“Good because I only brought six and I drained three in preparation…”

“How long will it be before I have to have blood again?”, Paige asked, finishing off the third pint and hiccupping.

“Well, that depends on how much physical activity you engage in… food will sustain you just as it did when you were a normal, but now that you’re a vampire, you’ll find that your body uses and stores energy a little differently. Don’t be alarmed if you gain some weight in the next few weeks as your muscles grow stronger… this is perfectly normal, but you need to avoid garlic at all costs.”, Walter replied.

“Ugh, you don’t need to tell me twice…I’ve always disliked the taste of garlic…”, Paige replied.

They were silent for a moment.

“Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for turning me…It must have been pretty difficult to go through that…”, Paige murmured.

Walter nodded.

“You’re welcome…”

There was more awkward silence and Walter cleared his throat.

“I’m going to go check out the library…give you some privacy…”, he said and walked away.

Paige nodded and grabbed her bag as he left the loft, darting into the bathroom and closing the door behind herself.

She hummed as she turned on the water, got undressed, and stepped under the hot spray.

Paige was growing accustomed to her vision and smiled as she finally understood what Ralph meant when he said his eyes were changed. As she washed the scent off of her body, she felt like she was truly shedding her former self.

She wasn’t completely perfect though, and things that she thought would have changed about her actually remained the same, like her breasts, for example. She knew it was perfectly normal for one of them to be slightly larger than the other, but she would have expected them to be even after her transformation. In a way, she was glad that they had remained the same, it gave her a sense of familiarity.

She sighed and rinsed off, letting her mind and her hands wander and she didn’t know if it was just her or if it was the romantic atmosphere of the cottage or the blood that was getting to her, but she suddenly felt very needy.

She could hear and smell Walter downstairs. He was walking around in the library, humming absentmindedly, his scent peaceful and serene, like he was deep in thought. She heard the turning of pages and the creak of the chaise as he sat down on it.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool tiles in the shower, letting the hot water rush over her.

He could smell and hear her too, so surely he would know it if she was touching herself…

 _“But maybe that’s not such a bad thing… Remember, if you get turned on and he gets turned on, you might like it and start picking up what he’s putting down…you brought that lingerie for a reason… maybe just indulge yourself a little bit now to set the mood…hopefully Walter will pick up on it and get the hint…”_ , she thought, running her fingers through her wet hair.

She went back to the memory of the other day when Walter had been teasing her and started mentally undressing him, biting her lip as her hands fell to her breasts.

She imagined what would have happened if Toby hadn’t walked in on them and imagined that her hands were Walter’s.

She let out the tiniest gasp as her thumbs brushed over her nipples and she heard Walter grow silent in the library.

He was listening to see if his ears had deceived him and she shivered a little in anticipation before sighing a little as she rubbed herself again. Just the thought of Walter knowing what she was doing got her excited.

She was surprised when a sweet, spicy scent came from her and she worked on manipulating her body as well as her scent to reflect her emotions and arousal.

Her hands slid down her body to the join of her thighs and she bit her lip as she slipped two fingers inside of herself, imagining that they were Walter's fingers instead.

She heard a faint growl and her knees turned to Jell-O when she realized that Walter had made that sound.

Thank God for enhanced hearing.

Walter had placed his book aside after hearing Paige sigh a second time from upstairs.

He could smell her arousal but it was more teasing than anything else, like she knew what she was doing to him and was getting off to it.

Somehow, that made everything hotter.

He leaned back on the chaise and closed his eyes, growing harder as he imagined what Paige looked like right now with the water rushing over her naked body as she pleasured herself.

He knew that she masturbated on a regular basis, as did he, so it didn’t seem like something he should get worked up over until now because then, her arousal hadn’t been directed at him, it just stayed contained around her. Sure, the first time she had done it in his apartment, he had been surprised, but it was normal and healthy and he did it too, so he never bothered to question her about it.

But this was intentional, she wouldn’t be letting her arousal go like that unless she wanted to, after all, there was no way she couldn’t have smelled it, so this was her goal and it was working.

He reached down and adjusted his belt, inhaling sharply when his hand brushed his cock.

He was aware of his growing scent of arousal so he let it go, hoping it would tease her or send her into euphoria.

 Paige heard him inhale and could smell him responding.

It was like an adrenaline rush when his scent hit her.

He smelled like lavender, pine, that earthy smell after it rains, and something playful, like sweet citrus.

He was teasing her too…

 _“Can’t go giving it away…”_ , Paige thought, smirking as she teased him some more.

She heard him swear under his breath and she grinned, having accomplished her goal and turned off the water before stepping out of the shower and drying off.

Walter heard the water shut off and then her teasing scent hit him and he swore lightly.

 _“She’ll be the death of me…I swear…”_ , he thought.

Paige dried off and blow dried her hair until it was damp, letting it air dry, her natural waves returning as she pulled on her lacy black panties and the matching bra with a black satin robe.

Her hand lingered over her makeup bag and she glanced up at her red eyes in the mirror and decided to forego the makeup as she took her post transformation selfie.

She brushed her teeth and made faces at herself in the mirror, admiring her new fangs before she tied the sash on her robe and shook out her chestnut tresses again. Then she focused hard on her reflection and grinned as she saw and felt her fangs retract and her eyes turn back to their normal warm brown color.  

Walter grabbed the wine and two wine glasses out of the cabinet and rummaged around for a corkscrew, pausing when he heard the hiss of silk on silk.

 _“What is she up to?”_ , he thought, before going back to the task of finding the corkscrew.

Paige heard Walter rustling around in the kitchen.

 _“What is he up to?”_ , she thought, but put the thought out of her mind as she exited the bathroom and tidied up the bedroom quickly, putting candles into their holders and then, when she was satisfied, she walked silently out onto the balcony and changed her scent to one of anticipation and longing, hoping that Walter got the hint and came upstairs.

Walter finally found the corkscrew and put it in his pocket before getting a whiff of Paige’s scent.

She was patiently waiting.

Whether it was on him or on her hair to dry, he didn’t know, but something told him to go upstairs, so he grabbed the glasses and the wine and ascended to the loft.

The soft music was still playing through the speakers, but now the candles were lit and the winds had changed and were now blowing softly through the open balcony doors where Paige stood with her back to him, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun.

His breath caught in his chest when he saw her.

She was standing tall, and was barefooted, her hair fluttering in the breeze, and she was wearing a black satin dressing gown that came down to her mid-thigh.

 Walter sat the wine and glasses down with the corkscrew on a small table and crossed the floor until he was less than five feet from her.

Paige knew he was behind her, her cheeks were hot and she could feel his eyes sweeping up and down her body.

His scent changed and became that of adoration and he closed the gap, pressing his front to her back and wrapping his arms around her waist, feeling her melt reflexively into his body.

“Hey.”, he murmured as she turned around in his arms, fixing him with her warm brown eyes.

“Hi.”, Paige said in reply, caught up in the way his deep brown eyes warmed her from the inside out.

“You changed your eyes back to brown.”, he said.

It wasn’t a question, rather a statement.

Paige bit her lip and nodded.

“So did you...I wanted to see how they would look when they were back to normal…”, she murmured, placing her hands on his chest.

“They look beautiful no matter what color they are…”, he said, the words coming out before he could stop them.

“Thank you.”, Paige replied, glancing behind him and spotting the bottle on the table, “Did you get wine?”, she asked.

“No, actually it was a gift to us from Megan…”, Walter said and released Paige so she could reenter the loft.

“Really?”, Paige said, looking at the tag and reading the note before blushing.

“Are we really this obvious?”, Paige asked as Walter stood beside her.

“I don’t know…”, he replied as he uncorked the bottle and filled the glasses before replacing the cork and handing her a glass, which she accepted with a soft smile, “Maybe we are…I really don’t mind…”

“That makes two of us…”, Paige said and then raised her glass, “Uh, here’s to us.”

“To us.”, Walter said and clinked his glass against hers before sipping his wine, which wasn’t all that bad, considering that he usually avoided alcohol.

They were silent until they finished their drinks, just enjoying the romantic atmosphere and the soft mood music, which had taken a significantly more romantic tone, but Walter didn’t mind.

Paige sat her glass down and Walter mirrored her and for a few seconds, no words passed between them.

 _“Say something!”,_ his conscience yelled.

“Uh, your hair looks nice like that…”, Walter said and Paige smiled.

“Really? Thanks…I kind of miss my bangs though…”, she said.

“Hold on…”, Walter murmured and tucked a strand behind her ear, his hand lingering near her jaw, “There...”, he said softly, suddenly aware of how close they were to one another.

Paige gazed up at him and her eyes slowly changed to their beautiful ruby color, her eyes flicking to his lips and back up to meet his gaze.

He blinked and turned his eyes from brown to red.

He cupped her jaw and leaned in, slowly brushing his lips over hers before pulling back again, mere centimeters between their lips.

Paige let out a soft sigh and it was like a dam had broken within each of them.

They were kissing each other soundly in the next instant and Walter groaned softly as he felt how much stronger Paige was.

She was the same temperature as he was now and although he missed her warmth, he loved how she would still shiver under his fingertips.

They broke apart for air a minute later and Paige sighed and placed her forehead against his as his hands fell to her waist, discovering the sash on her robe.

“You can take it off…”, Paige murmured, smelling the beginnings of his arousal while emitting her own scent, finally understanding what he meant by scent being the driving force.

Walter obliged and tugged on the sash, untying it before brushing it off of Paige’s shoulders and listening to it flutter to the floor before taking a step back and admiring her.

She wore a lacy black bra and matching panties and nothing else.

“Like what you see?”, Paige asked and Walter blinked and looked back at her face, reminding himself that it was impolite to stare, even if she wanted him to look…

“You’re beautiful…”, he murmured, “I know I say it a lot, but I mean it every time…”

Paige blushed and went back in to kiss him, her hands gripping in his thick glossy curls.

Their mouths met and parted and between kisses, Paige whispered that it was Walter’s turn before sliding her hands to the front of his shirt and swiftly unbuttoning it, pushing it off his shoulders in no time.

Walter threw back his head as Paige trailed her lips down his neck, letting out a low groan before releasing the rest of his scent.

Paige’s lips faltered as his scent overcame her and she moaned as it triggered something in her, causing her to shiver and forced her scent to overwhelm him.

They stepped back from each other then, gazing intently at each other as they panted.

Walter felt a warm sensation spreading through him that he couldn’t describe and his scent changed. It felt like he was meant to be here, that he was meant to share this moment and his whole life with Paige. The magnitude of his emotions should have made him feel scared, but all he could feel now was his love for Paige growing.

Paige gasped as Walter’s scent shifted to one that smelled like everything that was light and good in the world. It was herbal and warm and it filled her up in all the right ways. A chill rolled down her spine and the heat in her abdomen began to spread to her whole body, and she suddenly felt like she was meant to be here. Her world narrowed to the man in front of her and in an instant, she knew that she was meant to share her life with Walter.

Again, they were drawn to each other and as they grew nearer, neither of them spoke, for they knew instantly that this was what they had been waiting for and wanting for so long.

As their lips met, something aligned in both of them and they were made whole.

Two souls converged, two minds became one, and two hearts began to beat in perfect synchrony.  

Only one word could describe it.

_Euphoria._

 


	13. Euphoria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, this is the smut you were promised, so I hope you like it :)

Walter and Paige kissed each other heatedly but something in both of them told them to go slow and be gentle with each other.

Paige’s hands were all over Walter’s chest, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of his skin against hers, but wanting more, so much more.

She gasped as Walter’s hands found her breasts and began running his thumbs over her nipples, teasing her through the fabric.

Her soft whimper spurred him on and Walter trailed his lips down Paige’s jaw and neck, scattering kisses across her collarbones.

 She felt lightheaded when he kissed between her breasts and then, suddenly, he wasn’t touching her breasts anymore, but his hands were on her back, searching for the clasp to unhook her bra.

Noticing he was lost, Paige untangled her hands from his soft curls and guided his hands to the front of her lacy bra.

“Walter…”

“Hmm?”, he hummed, his thumbs going right back to stroking over her sensitive nipples, the vibrations from his voice going straight through her chest and causing her to shiver a little.

Paige drew back from him a little and smirked a bit as Walter tried to pull her back against his body.

“It’s in the front…”, Paige whispered and smirked as Walter watched in awe as she released the aforementioned clasp and shrugged the bra off of her chest and shoulders, baring herself to his gaze.

Walter’s eyes swept over her bare breasts and it was gratifying to have someone look at her with such wonder and awe after so long.

“It’s been a long time since someone looked at me like the way you’re looking at me now…”, Paige murmured as she felt her cheeks grow warm under the intensity of his gaze.

His breath hitched as he took her in but Walter embraced her, pulling her body close to his as if he thrived off of skin to skin contact with her.

A year ago, he would have rejected such physical intimacy, but he now craved it, longed for it, needed it.

“You’re beautiful…”, he murmured as he peppered kisses up the length of her neck and placed his cheek to hers, inhaling the delicate smell of her shampoo with the herbal scent of their shared euphoria.

Paige sighed and relaxed into Walter’s arms, stringing her arms around his neck and melting into his embrace.

They stood in comfortable silence, just content to remain in each other’s arms for the moment and Walter swayed Paige gently to the music that was still playing in the background as Paige ran her fingers through his thick, dark curls.

“Walter…”

“Hmm?”

“Perhaps we should take this to the bed…”, Paige murmured, pressing her lips to that spot just below his ear that made him hum in approval.

Paige walked him back until his calves hit the bed and Walter reached up to cup her jaw before pressing a firm kiss to her lips and then scattering kisses down her neck, pausing to suck at the place where her neck and shoulders met.

“I missed you being able to do this…”, Paige gasped and tilted her head to the side, allowing Walter to mark her.

“That makes two of us…”, Walter murmured as he lapped over the darkening love bite before pressing kisses along her collarbones.

His hands slid down to cup her soft breasts and Paige gasped and flinched.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”, Walter asked, immediately searching her eyes for any sign of panic.

It had been a while since he had been with a woman, and all of his former partners had been into more rough stuff, but Paige was different and she was highly sensitive to his touch, a fact which simultaneously turned him on and made him nervous.

Paige smiled and shook her head, her cheeks turning a bit pink.

“No, no…your hands are just a little bit cold…”, she whispered.

“Here…how about I try again…”, Walter murmured as he stepped back and rubbed his hands together, his eyes never leaving hers.

Paige nodded and Walter smiled, placing his now warm hands on her waist before running them up her sides to her breasts before gently cupping them again, watching Paige’s face for signs of disapproval or discomfort.

Upon finding none, he glanced down and ran his calloused thumbs over her stiff nipples, pride and arousal surging in him when he heard her soft sigh.

He pulled her closer as he kissed the hollow of her throat and trailed slow kisses down her sternum until he was level with her breasts, his thumbs continuing to stroke at her.

Walter was getting high off of the sensation of her fingers in his hair and he glanced up at her to make sure she was okay with what he was doing.

He knew it had been a very long time since Paige had been with anyone and although she had never directly told him so, her scent had been an indicator that she was nervous about this, so he was determined to go as slowly and be as gentle as he could to ensure that this was a good experience for the both of them.

When he looked up, he saw a relaxed smile on her lips and her ruby eyes were soft and endearing. Her heartbeat matched his and her fingers were gentle on his scalp, massaging, making him hum.

He didn’t take his eyes off of hers as he dragged his hands down to her hips and closed his lips around her pert nipple, making her gasp out the first syllable of his name before it blended into a soft moan as he sucked gently on her sensitive skin.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the soft scent of her skin before lapping at her, drawing out her moan, making her whisper his name in a breathy voice that sent a bolt of arousal straight to his cock.

_“Walter…”_

Paige had never had someone go slow with her like this before and it was making her head swim.

Walter released her with a soft pop and kissed over to her other breast, repeating the action until Paige pulled away.

“I’m sor- “, Walter said, but was shushed by Paige pressing a finger to his lips.

“Don’t apologize…you did nothing wrong…”, Paige whispered, “It’s just been a while…”

Walter nodded up at her and kissed her fingertip before bringing her closer and scattering kisses across her belly and navel.

His hands fell to her knees as finally he sat down on the bed, her fingers going back into his soft, dark hair as he pressed kisses to her abdomen, his thumbs brushing up the insides of her thighs, teasing her gently.

Paige emitted a soft sigh and widened her stance a little as Walter’s hand slipped between her legs. One of Paige’s hands fell from Walter’s hair to his shoulder, her slender fingers gripping him lightly for support as he gently rubbed her through her panties, making her go weak in the knees.

Walter could feel Paige sway on her feet as he manipulated the sodden lace over her most sensitive areas and his other hand wrapped around her hips to keep her steady.

He had never thought that he would get to be in this position with Paige Dineen, but here he was, with her in his arms, shivering and murmuring his name as he pleasured her.

He kissed her hips and Paige giggled as his lips brushed over her sides before she whispered, “Don’t you dare tickle me.”, in a voice that was lighthearted but meant business all the same.

Walter removed his hand from her and whispered, “I won’t…”, as he tucked his thumbs into the hem of her lacy panties and looked up at Paige, silently asking for her permission to remove them.

Paige inhaled deeply to calm herself and nodded.

Walter maintained eye contact as he pulled the lacy panties down her hips and pushed them down her legs.

Paige stepped out of them and kicked them somewhere, letting his eyes rake over her naked body and feeling a little self-conscious, but still so loved.

“Do you have a condom?”, Paige asked, the thought popping into her mind, “I just wanted to make sure that we got that taken care of before we got too carried away…”, she shrugged.

As much as she loved Walter, she knew it would take a toll on their relationship if he got her pregnant this early in their relationship.

Walter nodded, her words breaking him out of his daze and he stood, crossed the room in a few strides to his laptop bag, and when he turned around, Paige was standing there waiting for him.

 _“I could get used to this….”_ , he thought, his gaze raking up and down Paige’s lithe body.

He sank back down on the bed after putting a few condoms on the bedside table and Paige straddled Walter’s hips, smiling softly as she felt how hard he was for her, that he had enjoyed touching her as much as she had.

She gasped as Walter’s hands flew to her bare ass and pulled her hips closer to his with a groan, pressing a firm kiss to the middle of her chest, just over her heart before kissing her hard on the lips and rolling his hips up into hers. He could feel the heat of her core right there, pressing against him, the only thing separating them was the thin material of his grey briefs.

Paige gasped into the kiss as he rolled his hips, the friction from his briefs doing something wonderful to her, so she swiveled her hips and pressed herself firmly against his length, making Walter emit a low groan.

He moved one hand from her hip to her inner thigh and let them drift up and down the inside of her thigh, teasing her gently.

They came up for air and Paige rested her forehead against Walter’s, gazing into his eyes.

“Touch me…”, Paige breathed, her pupils slowly dilating as she shifted, parting her legs while still maintaining her kneeling position.

Walter obeyed her with a light nod and she inhaled deeply as the hand that was on her thigh drifted up and cupped her wet sex.

Paige flinched a little but she quickly exhaled and relaxed into Walter’s touch with a soft sigh. 

He watched her face carefully as his thumb caressed her pubic bone and his middle and ring fingers dragged through her folds, discovering where she liked to be touched.

Paige whimpered at the feel of his calloused hands touching her gently and she clenched her feminine muscles to try and alleviate some of the tension building deep inside of her, but all it did was make her wetter.

She rolled her hips on his hand and Walter got the hint, slipping his middle finger inside of her to find her G spot and frowning when he couldn’t locate it.

Paige shivered as he stroked inside of her, but when he frowned, she knew why instantly and willed herself to speak.

If she, a grown woman who masturbated regularly, could rarely find her own G spot, then Walter probably wouldn’t have much luck either.

“Ah…Walter…”, she began, her voice uneven as he stroked within her, adding his index finger, the friction still heaven on her body, “I, ah, I d-don’t think you’ll find my— _oh!_ ”, she gasped as Walter found it and curled his fingertips into it, smirking as her eyes fluttered closed.

“I’m sorry…What don’t you think I’ll find?”, Walter whispered in a playful tone, making her eyes open.

“I underestimated you…”, she murmured in a voice smoother than silk, her eyes darkening to a deeper shade of red as she saw the sly grin on his face.

Paige began rolling her hips in tandem with the rhythmic thrusting of his fingers, practically riding his hand, gasping as his thumb brushed over her clit.

Paige’s hand fell from Walter’s shoulder and it was his turn to gasp as her fingers began manipulating the fabric of his briefs over his cock, causing him to grow even harder before sliding her hand beneath his waistband and feeling him surge against her palm.

_“Paige!”_

She smirked as he gasped out her name, his fingers faltering against her as he dropped his head to her shoulder and panted as she used his wetness as lubrication for her hand as she formed a ring with her fingers and began to pump him slowly, making him grow harder.

Walter’s mind was racing now and he was thinking of all the ways he could get his briefs off without having to remove his hand from between her legs.

He settled for awkwardly lifting himself up and Paige got the hint, tugging his gray briefs off. Walter kicked them onto the floor, thus ridding himself of all his clothes.

Paige glanced down at Walter and he noticed her eyes widening as she took him in, which inflated his ego a bit but also concerned him because Paige hadn’t had sex in about a decade and wasn’t used to anything inside of her. He knew that, statistically speaking, he was larger than the average male, which would be uncomfortable for her.

“Is everything okay?”, he asked, removing his fingers from her, not caring that it might have broken the mood because the mood didn’t mean anything to him if she was uncomfortable.

“Yeah…you’re just, well, bigger than anything I’m used to…”, she replied, knowing that he meant well, “I’ll just have to adjust...”

“I can’t do this unless you’re comfortable…I-I won’t feel right…”, Walter replied, kissing her softly.

“I didn’t mean it like that…I mean that I need more lubrication before you put it in me…”, she whispered saucily, trailing her hands down her body and slipping her fingers in where Walter’s had been, her back arching as she found her G spot and rubbed it.

She knew what she was doing to Walter and could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed thickly and licked his lips.

Walter’s mind short circuited as he watched her, never expecting this to happen to him.

“Oh.”, was all he was reduced to saying as he watched Paige getting herself off.

“Do you like watching me?”, she moaned wantonly, feeling her euphoria overshadowing her once more.

 Instinct took over as her scent invaded his nostrils, snapping him out of whatever state he had been in to pull her close and tug her fingers away from her, replacing them with his.

Paige gasped and shook as he began fingering her with renewed vigor, making her wetter than ever and making her shiver with arousal.

He got an idea and brought her fingers to his lips before licking them clean, enjoying the taste of her as much as her scent, and sucking gently on them before removing them from his mouth.

He hauled her closer and his voice came out as a growl.

“I’m a more the hands-on type…”

She moaned his name before capturing his lips in a bruising kiss.

This was the primal side of Walter that she had always fantasized about, and, God, it made her clench with need.

Paige knew she was getting closer, her walls were fluttering around his fingers and she knew that if he didn’t stop now, her euphoria would be over before they had actually mated.  

 “Walter…”, she said, her voice coming out in a gasp as she grabbed his hand and shook her head, causing him to stop immediately, “Too close…”

Walter nodded and removed his hand.

Paige took this opportunity to release a growl of her own and push Walter down on the mattress with a soft bounce before crawling on top of him and smirking at the surprised, but very pleased, grin on his face.

“I think I need to even things up…What do you think?”, she practically purred, her eyes lidded and seductive.

Walter nodded and Paige kissed him hard on his lips, her tongue slipping in his mouth to tangle hotly with his.

Walter’s hands fisted into her soft chestnut hair and he groaned into the kiss as she wrapped her hand around his shaft and began to pump, the vibrations passing into her body and making her shiver.

She pulled back and started kissing down his neck and chest, just like he had for her until she was at level with his cock, her hand still working on him.

She had a mischievous glint in her eyes, she licked her lips, and Walter knew what she was going to do to him a second before it happened.

Little did he know that it was going to fulfill both of their fantasies.

 _“Paige!”_ , came his strangled gasp as she licked him from base to tip before taking just the head into his mouth and sucking.

She gazed up at him with her brown eyes, having retracted her fangs for safety, and inhaled quickly before taking more of him into her mouth.

His hands flew to the back of her head, just resting there as she took him a little deeper.

It took every ounce of his willpower to keep his hips still and watch as she sucked him off.

Then she moaned, the vibrations making him jolt reflexively, but Paige had prepared for that and made eye contact, smirking internally as she saw how blown away he was by all of this.

“P-Paige…”, he groaned as she swirled her tongue around his tip.

He could feel the tingling at the base of his spine that signaled his impending orgasm and Paige pulled off of him with a wet pop before crawling up his body again, both of them panting.

Walter cupped her jaw and kissed her slowly before pulling back and admiring her, his thumb brushing gently over her cheek. She smiled softly and the flickering of the candlelight made her glow.

Walter committed her features to memory as he brushed a lock of hair back from her face.

Paige sighed contentedly and leaned into Walter’s hand, pressing a kiss to his rough palm.

She could feel his heartbeat and traced invisible patterns on his chest.

He didn’t look away from her as he reached for the condom and glanced down only to make sure it was on properly before gently rolling Paige onto her back and staring into her expressive ruby eyes before leaning down and kissing her with all the passion he could muster.

Walter pulled back.

“Are you okay?”, he asked, lining up with her entrance.

Paige nodded and Walter pushed into her slowly, both of them sighing. The feeling of her was perfect but he watched carefully and stopped when Paige closed her eyes tightly as if in pain.

“Paige?”, he murmured.

“Just a moment…”, she replied, tearing up a bit at the stretch, growing accustomed to him, to the feeling of something much bigger than her fingers or his inside of her.   

She breathed and flexed her muscles before grabbing a pillow and lifting her hips up to shove it underneath her body, changing the angle so that Walter slipped deeper inside of her, causing both of them to gasp at the sensation.

Paige’s eyes opened again and she rolled her hips a little, urging Walter to move, which he did, slowly stroking in and out of her.

He kept this pace for a while until Paige moaned and his pace gradually increased, his thrusts going deeper into her until the moment when Paige lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips, causing him to bottom out.

Walter was feeling his orgasm creeping up on him and he felt Paige coming nearer to her completion as well, her muscles having little fluttering spasms before clenching tighter around him.

She was making the most erotic noises and her hair was messy, strewn across the pillow like a halo. He grunted and slid all the way into her before grinding into her core, his pubic bone bumping her clit and making her say his name in a breathless voice.

Walter slowed down as his thrusts became more erratic and he saw how Paige was gripping the sheets with white knuckles, so he shifted his weight onto his knees, kissed her forehead and slid his hands down her arms, moving her hands so that their fingers were laced together and he brought their joined hands up to the pillow on either side of Paige’s head.

Walter and Paige came together slowly then, gazing into each other’s eyes and seeing for the first time that they truly were two halves to a whole. No words passed between them and they maintained their steady pace until Paige arched her back and came with a cry of his name, her inner walls clenching Walter like a vise and a few moments later, pushing him over the edge, groaning her name, and following her into oblivion as their euphoria blended and washed over them like a tidal wave.

Walter finally understood what Megan and Sylvester had meant by wanting to keep this private as he was finally understanding just how truly intimate the process of taking a bonded mate was.

Walter couldn’t feel where he ended and where Paige began and while the physical aspects of their bond were wonderful, what really stood out were the spiritual and cognitive aspects.

Sure, mating was two hearts beating together and two bodies joined in the most intimate way but it was also two minds, though different, combining, becoming one mind, and two souls meeting to become one.

His world narrowed to her as she trembled and came again, his name falling from her lips like a prayer. Her voice was drawn out in pleasure and Walter swore that he had never heard a sound so beautiful in his entire life.

Paige arched her back and wrapped her arms around Walter’s neck, feeling energy leaving her body and entering his, just as he felt energy leaving his body and entering hers.

This was one of those moments when he was glad that he began believing in the existence of souls, because there was literally no other way he could have ever explained this closeness that he felt to Paige.

Paige was shivering and the way she felt right now was positively indescribable.

She could see so much love in his eyes and he could see his entire universe reflected in hers.

Walter collapsed onto Paige and pulled the blankets up around their bodies, cuddling against her.

Paige was gazing unblinkingly into Walter’s eyes for a long time and then when the euphoria began to fade out, she breathed again and Walter followed suit, drawing their first breaths together as bonded mates.

They laid together for a long time until Walter pulled out of her and disposed of the condom in the wastebasket by the bed before pulling her close to his body again and holding her tight.

He never wanted to let her go.

She was his life now.

Paige Dineen was his mate.

Paige leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose.

“Hello.”, she whispered softly.

“Hi…”, Walter replied, brushing a thumb over her cheek, amazed at how well they fit together.

Paige smiled at his tender, affectionate ways before he captured her lips in his.

If someone would have told her on the day that she first met Walter O’Brien that they would be mates and that he would be this loving towards her, she wouldn’t have believed them, but yet here she was, in the arms of the smartest man in the world, being kissed and caressed in the soft glow of candlelight.

His calloused hands ghosted over her soft flesh, memorizing her so that he would never forget the way she looked tonight. 

Paige sighed, somehow feeling more alive and more powerful than she had ever felt before, and she wrote it off as being an endorphin rush from the euphoria.

If this was the only time she’d ever get to experience euphoria and make love to Walter O’Brien, then she was happy, but she had a feeling that Walter was planning on taking her again and she didn’t mind at all.

Walter pulled back and saw how satisfied she was and she regarded him in the same way, the soft glow of the candlelight reflecting in his eyes and illuminating his soft smile.

Walter O’Brien was her mate.

The words were on her lips before she could stop them.

“I love you.”, she murmured softly.

Walter saw that she meant every word and while such a confession should have scared him, he felt at ease and confident in his next words.

She didn’t expect him to say it back, even if he had said those words to her earlier before she woke up, so she was surprised when Walter smiled back at her before whispering four words that proved he was a changed man,

“I love you too.”   

Walter could feel the joy bubbling up inside of him as Paige gasped and then smiled.

“I-I didn’t think you’d say it back…”, she murmured.

 Walter shrugged.

“I thought you’d say that, that’s why I wanted to tell you that I meant every word…”, he replied, running his hand through Paige’s hair, admiring her as the candlelight played across her features, “Don’t ever think for a moment that I don’t love you…you’ve changed my entire world and you’ve brought so many good things into my life…”

He leaned in and pressed his lips to Paige’s forehead and intertwined their fingers.

“You are my mate and I am yours. I will spend my whole life with you because there is no place I’d rather be than by your side. I now understand the depth of this bond and my world has shifted in the most wonderful way…”, he said, nuzzling his nose against hers before looking deep into her eyes, “I’ve seen the light and the beauty of this life reflected in your eyes…”, he said in a rather uncharacteristic way that made Paige’s heart race.

“Walter…”, she sighed at his beautiful words, “I never expected you to wax poetic like that…”

Walter nodded.

“I'll admit, I’ve never done anything quite like that, but I meant every word…”, he replied.

“I know.”, she said and they laid there for a long time, enjoying the quiet before Walter leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss and from this kiss came Paige’s soft, sensual moan and the renewed allure of her arousal.

Walter sensed it an instant before it dragged him under in his own wave of arousal.

He rolled Paige onto her back and kissed her hard as an idea formed in his head.

Paige whimpered when he slipped a hand between her legs and he practically growled when he found how turned on she was.

He dragged his lips down her silky skin and pressed kisses down her neck and chest to her abdomen, pushing the sheets down as he went.

He wanted Paige to be able to see what he was doing as he teased her.

He glanced up and saw her heaving chest and her blown pupils and pressed teasing kisses against her hips.

“Walter…”, she breathed as he settled between her thighs, her hand drifting down her body to settle into his curls.

She gasped as Walter grinned, his fangs flashing in the dim light as he put her legs over his shoulders and lapped a long stripe up her center, causing her to grip his hair and arch her back as she gasped.

He was going to be the death of her and she moaned as he nipped her inner thigh softly. 

Drew had always been shit when it came to pleasing her, but all thoughts of her ex fled her mind when Walter hummed against her and made her jump. 

Her vocal response to his tongue on her most sensitive areas spurred him on and he repeated the action, this time exhaling across her core and making her shiver.

Paige threw her head back and moaned his name in broken tones as he put his tongue inside of her and drove her absolutely insane.

She was still so sensitive from before and her hips shook when his nose bumped her clit.

 _“Oh fuck me…”_ , she bit out as he did something indescribable with his tongue.

Walter grinned against her before he pulled back a fraction of an inch.

“That can be easily arranged…”, he growled, the vibrato of his voice rushing through her like an electric current as he replaced his tongue with his fingers and curled them into her G spot, making her hips buck into his touch.

Her eyes flew open and she cried out a string of curses with his name scattered throughout it as he tongued her clit and growled as she raked her fingernails over his scalp.

He was thoroughly enjoying taking Paige apart like this, watching her writhe in pleasure, hearing her gasp and moan as he did something she liked.

Paige felt like her legs had turned to Jell-O and she felt the familiar clench and flutter of her inner walls around his fingers, signaling that her orgasm was just out of reach but getting closer.

 _“Walter…oh God…I-I’m close…”_ , she gasped as he pressed his free hand down firmly on her pubic bone, keeping her still as he doubled his efforts, rolling his own hips into the mattress, trying to alleviate some of the tension building within himself as he brought Paige to the edge of her completion.

She was so close and she looked down at Walter as he took her higher and their eyes met.

She could see how turned on he was by the look in his eyes and just as she was about to come, he stopped and pulled away from her with a grin on his face, like he knew how close she had been.

Walter knew what he had done and wanted to see how Paige would react.

He crawled up her body and whispered, “Payback for the shower, love…”, before leaning down to kiss her.

Paige was indignant and let a frustrated growl rip out of her throat and used her quickened reflexes and strength to flip Walter onto his back in one fluid motion, a surge of righteousness passing through her bones as his eyes widened.

She straddled his hips and pinned his hands to the mattress, holding him down, baring her fangs and letting out a sharp hiss before capturing his lips in a bruising kiss and pulling back to look at his expression.

Walter panted and laid there in shock and surprise as Paige instantly turned the tables on him, grinding into his erection and making him gasp.

Paige smirked and leaned over to grab a condom, tearing it open and reaching between them to roll it down onto his shaft.

“P-Paige…”, he whimpered as she teased him, making him jerk up into her hand.

She leaned down, her lips ghosting over his lips, lingering just out of reach.

“My turn.”, she purred and impaled herself on his cock.

“Holy— “, he began to say as he watched Paige ride him, her breasts and wavy hair bouncing as she used her new strength to move herself.

She was taking him in as far as he would go and, God, she loved the feel of him inside of her.

Walter fought out of her grip and he sat up against the headboard, gripping her hips hard and bucking up into her, the contrary motion making her cry out and clench firmly around him, an action which made his head swim.

She ran a hand through her hair and let go, falling over the edge with a cry of his name and stilling on him before pushing through her haze and moving again.

She was getting close again and Walter could see her endurance quickly waning, so he rolled them and began thrusting firmly into her, hauling one of her legs up onto his shoulder to sink all the way into her, making Paige cry in pleasure.

Walter grunted as she tightened hard again and came with his name on her lips.

She writhed against the pillows and sensually moaned his name as she dragged her fingernails down his chest, scratching lightly, an act which Walter found extremely hot.

He collapsed against her body and pushed through, summoning all of his strength to go slowly and draw her pleasure out, running his lips over her skin, lapping up the sweet, salty taste of the light sheen of perspiration that had gathered on her décolletage. 

He thrust slowly into her fluttering sex and kissed her just below her ear, whispering that he loved her.

 _“I love you…”_ , came his rough voice in her ear and Paige pulled him flush against her body.

“I love you too.”, she replied, “Now let go…”, she stated and he obeyed, capturing her lips as he thrust once more into her and stilled, coming hard inside of her and removing his lips from hers to pant unevenly against her neck.

He rolled off of her so that he wouldn't crush her and they basked in the afterglow until Paige’s stomach growled.

“Hungry?”, he asked, looking up at her.

Paige nodded.

“As much as I want to lie here and forget the world, I think my hunger wins…”

“I can get dressed and snag you a deer if you want…”, Walter offered, propping himself up on his elbows to look at her.

Paige scrunched her nose up and shook her head.

“I need some real food in me…”, she replied.

“We can head back if you want to…”, Walter replied.

Paige sighed.

“It’s so nice here, but I do want to see how Ralph and the others are holding up…”

“We can come back later if you want to.”, Walter said.

Paige shrugged.

“Maybe, but I really just want to get back to that big bed in our room…maybe break that in, if you know what I mean…”, she murmured with a grin and nudged his arm, “So the sooner we get going the sooner we’ll be on our own again.”

“Understood…”, he said and crawled off of her, retrieved his clothes from the floor as Paige blew out the candles and turned on the small lamp above the bed.

Walter went into the bathroom to clean himself up but stared at his reflection in the mirror and saw how happy he looked.

Paige had done this to him and he didn’t care.

She was the best thing that had happened to his life (followed closely with Ralph entering his world and Megan being healed, of course).

Paige stood on shaky legs and retrieved her lingerie from the floor, wincing as she bent over.

She hadn’t had sex in years, so, vampire or not, she was definitely going to feel it tomorrow.

Walter came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and Paige walked past him, closing the door tight and looking at herself in the full length mirror on the back of it.

She had a love bite and faint marks where Walter’s hands had gripped her thighs.

Her hair was a mess and her lips were swollen from being kissed. 

She was happy and satisfied.

She was his mate and that made her grin.

She did her business and used a washcloth to wipe herself off before brushing her hair and pulling on a clean set of cotton panties and one of her plain white bras with a pale blue sundress and her flats.

She put on some light lipstick and repacked her bag before emerging into the empty bedroom.

The sheets had been stripped off the bed and the doors and windows were closed and locked with the curtains drawn.

No music played and the lamplight was harsh compared to the soft glow of the candles.

All evidence that she had been changed here and that she and Walter had mated was gone.

The only evidence left was a well-hidden mark on her neck and a deep ache in her pelvic region.

“Ready to go?”, Walter asked, calling up to her from downstairs, sensing her sadness at having to leave.

“Let’s go…”, Paige said and descended the staircase, not looking back.

They left the cottage walking hand in hand, the only sounds coming from the crunching of gravel beneath their feet and from the frogs, night birds, and crickets around them.

It was a beautiful night and Paige was thankful for her enhanced night vision so that she could see the stars plainly.

They walked through the garden and Paige stopped.

“Wait, I want to try something.”, she murmured and focused hard on changing her scent to that of her normal, former self and changing her eyes back to brown, “Okay, I’m ready.”, she said and they continued up the hill and through the field to the stairs where they could hear laughter and the clinking of utensils against china coming from the porch.

They began to climb the stairs together and as they reached the top, they glimpsed their coven interacting with the Guthridge family and with Bruno, Maria, Kim and a heavily tattooed and muscular Filipino vampire that they guessed was Santana.    

The coven stopped dead and looked at them as they drew nearer, but Walter was only worried about the look on Ralph’s face and how it reflected confusion before Paige turned her eyes to their beautiful ruby color, making the rest of the congregation gasp as she grinned with her fangs out.

Walter saw Ralph’s face light up and he got up from the table before sprinting over to his mother, who scooped him up into her arms with her renewed strength.

“Mom, you did it…”, Ralph said as Paige hugged him close.

“I know, I know I did…Walter was a huge help…”, she replied, setting her son down on his feet again and kissed his forehead before straightening up, “He took very good care of me…”

“I’ll say he did! Look at you Miss Dineen!”, Toby called in a good-natured manner, making Paige blush and grin.

As the rest of the coven fawned over her, Ralph tugged on Walter’s hand and Walter got down to his level.

“What’s up buddy?”, he asked and Ralph threw his arms around Walter’s neck.

“Thank you…”, he whispered, “You kept your promise and took good care of my mom.”

“You’re welcome…”

Walter and Paige sat down and Megan looked at them.

“Did you like my gift?”, she asked, sipping her drink.

“We still have some of your gift…Thank you…But I must ask, how did you manage to put it into the bag without us knowing?”, Paige replied between bites of her pasta.

“Well, I told Hazel about my plans to give you a bottle of wine for after you changed that way you could take a load off because I know how much it took out of me when I changed, so I wanted to make your experience a little better…possibly a little more relaxing for the both of you.”

“I contacted Maria and Bruno who told me about the bag and then I had Megan call Maria and work out an exchange.”, Hazel said.

“So when you said you were tired…that was just a ruse to draw Maria away to give her the bottle?”, Paige asked.

Megan and Maria nodded.

“And you helped her pull this off?”, Walter asked Sylvester.

Sylvester shook his head.

“It was all Megan’s idea…”, Sylvester said and kissed Megan’s hand.

Walter sighed and nodded to his older sister.

“Thank you for that.”, Paige and Walter said in unison.

Ralph looked between his mom and Walter and noticed that some of his mother’s subtler personality traits had gone missing and had been replaced with some of Walter’s subtle traits. Walter was smiling more and he was much more tactile than he had ever been before, two things he was used to seeing in his mother.

He wondered if they had swapped traits as a result of a bond so he decided to test his theory.

“Hey dad?”

“Yeah buddy?”, Walter asked as he cut up his chicken.

“You remember that sculpture mom said she liked?”

“Which one? _The Veiled Virgin_ by Giovanni Strazza or Bernini's _Pluto & Persephone_…”, Walter replied nonchalantly, spearing some veggies with his fork, causing the coven to stop dead and stare at him.

Walter froze, realizing what he had done the second the words left his mouth.

He didn’t remember art like that…Paige did… which meant that their bond was now painfully obvious.

Hazel sighed.

“Well now…I know your coven doesn’t stand on ceremony, but I think it’s only fitting that we mark the occasion…”, she said as she stood up with a smile on her face.

The Guthridge coven along with Bruno, Maria, Kim, and Santana all followed Hazel’s lead and stood as Paige watched in confusion before she smiled as they bowed to her.

“And now, you  _are_  the lady of the coven…”, Hazel said as they sat back down. 

“I…Thank you…”, Paige said.

“It seems I’m no longer the successor…”, Megan said between bites of her pasta.

Paige coughed on her wine.

She had forgotten that mating with Walter would make her the coven’s new natural successor, thus taking the position from Megan, which she had only held for less than a week.

She didn’t mean to usurp Megan’s position and she felt instantly guilty for it.

“I’m so sorry. I completely forgot…”, Paige began, but Megan shook her head and laughed a bit.

 “No, no…I think you misunderstood me… I’m okay with it, you’ve had much more experience with the cyclone, both the company and the coven, than I have, so it only seems right that you should be in a position like that, besides, I don’t have all the real-world experience that you do since I’ve been practically cooped up in a hospital for the better part of my life…”, Megan replied.

Paige sighed in relief.

They finished eating dessert and Kim and Santana insisted on clearing the dishes.

“It’s what we’re paid to do…”, Kim said as everyone went to help her clear them away.

“Nonsense…We’re living here, so we need to help out…”, Paige said and collected the utensils.

“We’ll form a line and get the dishes cleared in no time…”, Cabe added.

The Guthridge coven was in agreement and Kim looked at Santana, who shrugged.

“Well, I s’pose it wouldn’t hurt to have help.”, he said.

 The dishes were cleared away, cleaned, dried and put back into the cabinets in less than half an hour and Ralph went off to play soccer with Hazel and Victoria’s boys in the field behind the villa while the rest of the adults sat out on the back porch, sipped their wine (or water in Penelope and Walter’s cases) and talked about the villa, the _Vecchio Ordine_ , and Los Angeles.

“So, Walter, you and your coven are from Los Angeles… How is it there?”, Santana asked, sipping his wine.

“Well, it’s hot, but it’s not a bad, humid heat…more like a dry heat…”, Walter replied before adding, “I told Kim this earlier, so I don’t know if she told you, but Megan and I aren’t actually from Los Angeles. We’re from Ireland…in fact, the only one of our entire coven who is actually from Los Angeles is Happy…”

“Really?”, Santana asked, “So where is everyone else from?”

“I’m from New Jersey.”, Toby said, “My hometown was right across the Hudson River...”

“Rochester, New York…”, Sylvester said.

“Marietta, Georgia.”, Cabe replied.

“I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but I grew up in Reading. Ralph was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico…Drew was playing for the Albuquerque Isotopes then…” Paige said, “Where are you from, Santana?”

“I was born in Manila, but I was adopted by a Spanish family when I was a baby and I came to Italy for culinary arts school…I met Kim at school and we were recruited by the _Vecchio Ordine_ to work here at the villa, or the safe house, as we call it…”

“Santana, Kim, Maria, and Bruno are all highly skilled enforcers…I’ve made it my personal business to ensure that we have the highest quality of protection for our guests.”, Oliver said.

“So are any of you gifted?”, Paige asked.

They shook their heads no.

“Robert and I are gifted…”, Alicia Guthridge said and held her husband’s hand, “Robert has the gift of language…He can speak to anyone and they will understand him, no matter what language they speak.”

“It’s what makes me a good negotiator…”, he said, “My Alicia here has a green thumb…”

Alicia waved her hand and the potted rosebush beside Paige began to grow and bloom.

“That’s remarkable…”, Megan said, amazed.

“I’m not gifted, but I made up for it by honing my skills and working my way to the head of the enforcement division for the villa and the other safe houses.”, Oliver said, "So, Paige, you were just turned, are you gifted?"

"I don't know...", Paige replied.

"I think it's too soon to tell...", Walter supplied and Paige nodded. 

“But…”, Robert Guthridge said, nodding to Paige and Walter, “I have a feeling that when you two became bonded, something called convergence happened…”

 “What’s that?”, Walter asked, reaching out to hold Paige’s hand.

“It’s an old piece of vampire lore…there are three types of convergence in one’s lifetime: the first is mated convergence, the second is birthright convergence, and then there’s resurrective convergence. It’s the passage of energies between two people, generally two vampires or halflings, but it has happened between a vampire and a normal before.”, Robert stated.

“Mated convergence is what happens during the mating process, birthright convergence is convergence between mother and child during birth or shortly after the birth, and resurrective convergence occurs when someone a vampire or halfling is close to dies or is on the brink of death and they can be brought back and healed.”, Alicia added.

“Convergence in any form can transfer qualities and gifts to the other person. Almost everyone who has a bonded mate has undergone mated convergence, birthright convergence is less common, and resurrective convergence is very rare.”, Robert supplied, “Sometimes, convergence can foster gifts in someone who didn’t have them before.”

Paige was about to inquire further, but the boys ran up onto the porch and exclaimed that they were tired and Hazel and Victoria’s boys wanted to go home so that they could rest up and return tomorrow to go swimming after school with Ralph.

“Well, we should get to bed early, the only way to beat jet lag is to rise with the sun…”, Toby said.

“The doc’s right. We’ll need our rest.”, Cabe said before drinking the last of his wine and saying goodnight.

Soon after that, Paige and Walter were back in their room and getting ready for bed when Walter’s phone rang while he was getting dressed after his shower.

“Hello?”, Walter answered as he sat on the edge of the bed and ran a towel through his damp hair before putting it back in the bathroom.

“Hey dad?”, Ralph asked, “Can you and mom come down and say goodnight if you aren’t busy?”

“Sure buddy…your mom and I will be right down…”, he replied and Paige walked out from behind the changing screen with an old tee shirt and a pair of shorts on as he hung up.

She put her hair up in a messy bun and Walter was struck by how beautiful she was even when she wasn’t trying.

Images of her writhing in pleasure flashed before his eyes and he felt his face get hot at the thought of her.

“Was that Ralph?”, she asked, sliding into a pair of flip flops and crossing the room.

“Yeah…he wants us to come downstairs to tuck him in for bed…”, he replied and held his hand out to her which she took and they went downstairs.

As they passed the hallway that led down to Happy and Toby’s rooms, they could hear Happy banging on the bathroom door and could hear their conversation, slowing down to eavesdrop.

“…Curtis, I swear to God, you had better leave me some hot water or I will find a way to rig it so you never take another hot shower while we’re here…”, Happy threatened. 

“How about you just come in and shower with me and we’ll save water?”, came Toby’s snarky reply.

“You’re a fucking pervert…”, Happy muttered.

“Nope, just environmentally conscious.”, Toby replied.

“Bullshit! You’ve been in there for a whole hour!”, she shouted and Paige had to stifle her laughter.

They went down the hall where Ralph and Cabe’s rooms were and knocked on Ralph’s door.

“Who is it?”, Ralph asked.

“Mom and dad.”, Paige replied and something warm rooted itself in Walter’s chest as she referred to themselves as Ralph’s mom and dad. It was like they were a little family.

When the door opened and they entered, Ralph was already halfway across his room to his bed.

Walter closed the door behind themselves and crossed the room to where Paige was already tucking her son into bed.

“So how did it go with Niles, Flynn, and Mitchell?”, Paige asked.

“It went well…I explained to them that I wasn’t really good at sports but that I would try to keep up with them and it turns out that I’m not as bad at soccer, or football, as they call it, as I thought I was…Niles is really good at it though, but he’s been playing all his life so he’s got a few years of experience on me.”, Ralph replied, “We had to slow it down for Mitchell, but it was still fun. It turns out that once you get to know him, Mitchell is pretty talkative…Flynn likes science but he’s not really into astronomy. He likes animals and plants instead, which he says is difficult because his moms want him to hunt at least once but his grandmother is really good with plants so it evens things out.”

“Well, I’m glad you had a good time…”, Paige said and kissed her son goodnight.

“Hey mom?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you have gifts or is it too soon to tell?”, Ralph asked, unknowingly repeating Oliver's question from earlier.

Paige shrugged.

“I really don’t know…It might be too soon to tell, but I’ll see if anything seems out of place in the next few days…”

“You always said you’d move heaven and earth for me…wouldn’t it be something if you really could?”, Ralph yawned.

Paige chuckled.

“That would be interesting to say the least…now try and get some rest…I love you…”, she replied, brushing her hand through his hair.

Ralph nodded and Paige stood up so that Walter took her place at Ralph’s side.

“Goodnight, buddy…you have everything you need?”, he asked, smoothing the sheets down around Ralph.

“Yeah. Dad?”, Ralph asked.

“What is it?”, Walter asked.

“Now that you and mom are mates, do you love her?”, Ralph asked, not caring that his mom was right there.

Walter looked up at Paige and held out his hand and Ralph smiled as his mother took it.

“Yeah, I do love her…”, he said, looking her right in the eyes and Paige blushed.

He looked back at Ralph and ruffled his hair, “And I love you too, buddy…I think I understand how this works now…”

That warm feeling in his chest made itself known again and Ralph hugged Walter tightly before leaning back against the pillows and yawning again.

“We all learn something new every day…”, Ralph murmured sleepily as he blinked slowly, sleep claiming him.

Walter and Paige stood by until he was asleep and then Paige turned on the small, dim lamp near the bathroom so that Ralph wouldn’t be disoriented if he woke up in the middle of the night before they both tiptoed out of the room and closed the door behind themselves.

“I’m glad he’s settled in so well…”, Walter said as they walked back to their room, enjoying the silence of the main villa.

Paige nodded and replied,

“We’ve all seemed to adjust to this smoothly-“

 “CURTIS!! THE WATER’S FREEZING!!”, Happy screeched.

“Some more than others…”, Walter murmured as they kept walking, thanking the powers that be that there was soundproofing between floors so that Megan and Sylvester could sleep in peace. He had seen his sister sleep deprived and it wasn’t pleasant.

  They went up to their room and closed the door behind themselves and Walter locked it as Paige put all the throw pillows into the chest at the foot of the bed, turned down the covers and toed off her flip flops before crawling into the bed.

Walter walked through the room, turning off lamps as he went, his eyes on Paige the whole time as she fluffed up her pillow and laid down.

Walter climbed into bed next to her and it took a little while to get comfortable, but soon he was laying on his side facing Paige and she was laying on her side facing him.

“Hey.”, Paige said, smiling, “Thanks for saying that for Ralph…I don’t think you know how much it meant for him to hear those words…”

Walter shrugged.

“I was just being honest.”

Paige closed the distance and firmly pressed her lips to his before drawing back an inch or two.

“It may have been just the truth to you, but it was the whole world to him…You just made my son so, _so_ happy…”, she murmured kissing him again, this time slower, more sensually, “And that is one of the many countless reasons why I love you, Walter O’Brien.”

Walter could feel his arousal growing and Paige hummed as she released hers slowly, gazing into her mate’s eyes before he captured her lips with his.

No words passed between them as clothes were removed and the only thing they could hear was the soft hiss of skin on skin and their heavier breathing.

They were moving as one, Paige emitting soft gasps and moans as Walter touched her in all the right places, Walter groaning against the column of her throat as she stroked her hand along his shaft.

She purred when he flipped her onto her back and kissed down her chest to close his lips around a firm nipple and suck gently before dipping his fingers into her folds and making her shudder.

Paige threw her head back and moaned as he worked the calloused pad of his thumb over her clit and kissed across her chest to her other nipple, repeating the actions.

She had been right; Walter _was_ good with his hands…

Walter loved the pleased noises she made as he curled his fingers up into her G spot and made a ‘come hither’ motion, causing a flood of wetness to flow from her. He loved the soft sighs she made when he flicked his tongue against her nipple and loved the way his name fell from her lips when she bucked her hips.

“Walter…please…”, she panted softly, rolling her hips into his hand.

He kissed up her neck and nipped softly at her earlobe.

“What do you need?”, he asked, his voice coming out low and dark, his Irish brogue breaking through and making her shiver.

Paige looked him dead in the eyes.

“You, deep inside of me, right now…”, she purred, her hooded eyes and full lips drawing him in like a moth to a flame.

“As you wish…”, he murmured, kissing her lips before removing his hands from her body and smirking as she groaned at the loss of contact before he reached into the bedside table drawer and pulled out one of the condoms he had stashed there earlier before swiftly putting it on and lining up with her entrance.

Their eyes met and Paige nodded her consent before he pushed into her, feeling, to his relief, less tension in her muscles than he had felt earlier.

Paige didn’t hiss in pain this time, but she purred in pleasure as he entered her before wrapping her legs around his waist and making him slip even deeper into her body. Her arms looped around his neck and pulled him down for a slow, searing kiss, her fingers curling up through his soft, dark curls, her fingernails scratching his scalp lightly.  

 Walter rocked inside of her, bottoming out instantly and he groaned as she flexed her feminine muscles around him experimentally.

Paige was filled up in all the right ways and she rolled her hips in tandem with Walter’s perfectly timed thrusts, the contrary motion making her eyes cross.

He kept kissing her and time seemed to slow down for the two of them as Walter drew out Paige’s climb to her plateau, and then began to double his efforts to get her to the peak.

Paige opened her eyes and they stared at each other and, for Walter, something fell into place and made him go, “Oh.”

 The way she looked at him and her response to their activities made Walter realize that what they were doing wasn’t just ‘having sex’.

This was what everyone meant when they said, _“let’s make love”_.

“I love you.”, he murmured, sealing his words with a kiss to her lips.

“I love you too.”, she replied, nuzzling her nose against his in an Eskimo kiss.  

Paige was getting tighter and tighter and her soft sighs began getting higher in pitch, signaling her approaching orgasm and making Walter double his efforts and steel himself because there was only so many times he could take her clenching around him like that.

Walter’s thrusts became uneven as they achieved the impossible and came together, chanting each other’s names like a prayer as they did.

Walter went to roll off of Paige, but she tightened her arms and legs and kept him against her as she shivered, his member still buried within her.

They kissed each other deeply and as their arousal began fading out into relaxation, Walter untangled himself and pulled out of her to clean himself up and then returned to her side to hold her close.

Paige knew she wore the smile of a sexually satisfied woman and she sighed as Walter held her close to him and cuddled, both of them basking in the afterglow.

Paige trembled softly as tiny, fluttering aftershocks passed through her.

“I love you, Paige Dineen…my reasons are innumerable and infinite…”, Walter murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead.

And I love you right back for just as many reasons, Walter O'Brien…”, she murmured, snuggling into his embrace.

Paige drifted off with a smile on her face and Walter followed shortly after her, finally feeling like he was made whole by her love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading, I hope you all enjoyed the smut, there's much more to come.  
> If you like sex puns, then I tossed a few in here and there, so leave some reviews or comments and tell me how I did so I can begin writing chapter 14! :)


	14. Morning Oracle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update. I had to rewrite this chapter a bunch of times and it became kind of a beast so I had to cut it in half (part of the original ch. 14 is now the first part of ch. 15), but even with all that stuff, here it is.

The next morning, Paige woke up early and watched the sky gradually brighten through the stained glass windows in the bathroom. She didn’t get up just yet because Walter was still sound asleep with one of his arms around her body, keeping her beside him.

They had fallen asleep right after they made love and so they were both still naked beneath the sheets, which was a bit uncomfortable, but not unbearably so.

Walter’s exhalations were soft against her bare shoulder and Paige wondered absently to herself how he was able to sleep comfortably with her hair in his face, their legs tangled together, one arm around her waist, and his other arm wedged under the pillow.

Most couples grew out of the spooning embrace after the first few nights of sleeping in the same bed, but it was becoming evident that, even in sleep, Walter was not the average male and actually enjoyed holding her like this.  

She looked over at the clock on the bedside table and sighed.

It was almost seven, they would need to get up soon anyway because she knew they would be missed at breakfast and the last thing she wanted was for someone from the coven to come barging in and catch them like this.

Paige tried to extricate herself from his embrace, but Walter groaned and tugged her closer against his body, his morning erection firm against her ass.

Even in sleep, Walter couldn’t keep his hands off of her and Paige smirked at the thought before wiggling her ass against him and looking over her shoulder to watch his face.

He didn’t wake up but he did moan low in his throat and roll his hips against her, the hand around her waist holding her hips flush against his body.

“Mm…Paige…”, he muttered, bucking against her.

As much as she loved Walter doing this, she didn’t want to have to change the bed sheets so she decided to wake him from his dream. 

“Walter…”, she murmured, turning in his embrace, ignoring the way they stuck together as it was a little bit unpleasant (though not even close to the most unpleasant thing she had ever been met with upon waking, that honor went to a five-year-old Ralph who had woken her up only to become physically ill all over her and her bedding), “Walter, wake up love.”, she said smiling at his relaxed features as she propped herself up on her elbow to gaze lovingly at her sleeping mate.

Walter O’Brien was a handsome man and an absolutely gorgeous vampire, there was no doubting that, and she took the time to memorize his features.

His olive skin stood out in perfect contrast to the cream colored sheets and his curls were pressed flat on the side that was against the pillow while the curls on the other side were adorably tousled from the night before. His mouth hung open slightly, the tips of his fangs just barely visible behind his lips. The light from the windows threw his scars and dimples into sharp relief, but Paige didn’t care about them. They made him who he was. 

If she looked closely, she could see the small scars from when he had acne as a teenager, but his scars weren’t nearly as bad as hers had been. He was toned but not overly muscular and still had some healthy body fat, which she actually found to be quite nice because she had never been one of those women who liked rock hard, perfectly sculpted bodies.

He palmed her waist before his hand drifted down to her butt and she rolled her eyes as he groaned quietly.

If she hadn’t been afraid of Walter taking her seriously and becoming hurt by it, she would have joked about him only loving her for her body.

“Walter…”, she said, nudging him again.

Walter groaned and rolled his hips, pressing himself firmly into her abdomen.

Paige rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock.

“Men…”, she muttered to herself before exhaling, “Okay, that’s it, wake up.”, and pushing Walter onto his back before getting on top of him, straddling his hips, and sealing her lips to his in a fierce kiss, temporarily cutting off his oxygen, but knowing that he was a vampire and his reflexes would soon take over.

Walter responded almost instantly, his eyes flying open at the sensation of her kissing him hard before closing them again, inhaling through his nose, and brushing his tongue across her lips to deepen the kiss.

Paige sighed as his hands flexed on her hips and she purred softly before gasping as he rolled her deftly onto her back, breaking the kiss.

“Good morning.”, he whispered against her lips, sealing the greeting with a sensual kiss.

“Glad to finally have you awake…”, she replied, smiling up at her mate, his warm red eyes glossy from him being asleep.

“You were trying to wake me?”, he asked, cocking his head to one side, “I thought I was dreaming…”

“I know…”, Paige chuckled softly, “So I had to up my game...”

Walter mock-pouted and Paige giggled again at his expression.

“It was a really good dream…”, he murmured.

“I didn’t want to give the coven a reason to come up here and catch us being less than decent, if you get my drift…”, Paige replied, “Especially if it was Ralph that came up to check on us.”

Walter nodded before placing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes.

“I don’t want to leave this bed…”, he whispered, “Can’t we just take a day to be totally occupied with each other? I mean we only became mates yesterday… these Old World types would equate the days following mating to a honeymoon of sorts…they’d understand…”

Paige nuzzled against him and said, ‘I know, I know…but we need to be functioning heads of this _modern_ coven…besides, I was Ralph’s mother long before I became your mate, so he still expects me to be up and about and, as the man he’s decided to accept as his father, he’ll expect the same from you…”

Walter sighed and rolled off of her.

“You’re right…”, he replied, brushing his fingertips over her cheek and gazing lovingly at his beautiful mate before moving to get up, only to be pulled back into bed by Paige.

“I thought you wanted me to get up?”, he asked, confused by her mixed signals.  

  Paige smirked.

“I do, but I wanted to kiss you first.”, she murmured, pulling him closer and running her fingers up through the curls at the base of his skull, her tongue slipping past his lips to tangle with his.

He soon felt himself being pulled back down to the warmth of the bed and the smooth curves of Paige’s bare body, the soft press of her breasts against his chest making him groan low in his throat.

He was still painfully hard for her and the sweet, enticing aroma of her arousal was almost too much for him to bear.

Walter let himself get lost in the kiss and then broke away.

“We really need to get up…”, Paige moaned between kisses, gasping as Walter’s skilled fingertips grazed over one of her nipples before tugging on it gently, causing it to harden before he repeated the action on the other.

“Ralph is a genius; I think he can handle himself for one morning…”, Walter whispered, nuzzling into Paige’s neck and nipping lightly at her earlobe, simultaneously causing her to gasp and shiver with anticipation as he pulled back and she saw how wide his pupils were with arousal, how dark his irises were, and she felt how hard his cock was against her thigh, “Unless you’d rather I stopped?”, he asked with an air of nonchalance.

Paige shook her head as she felt heat pool between her legs and Walter smiled a little before he captured her lips and began scattering kisses down her neck.

“Per-perhaps you’re right…”, Paige whispered, her voice taking on that breathy edge as he pressed an open mouthed kiss to her neck and she shivered again as his fangs brushed her skin.

Paige was burning up with desire and she wanted Walter deep inside of her, but her mate had other plans.

Walter’s hands trailed lower, gently nudging her thighs open before drifting his fingertips back up her thigh to where she needed him.

He wanted to draw this out for as long as he could and he could sense how impatient Paige was, which only spurred him on.

 _“Oh!”_ , came the soft exhalation from Paige’s lips as Walter brushed his fingertips over her sensitive skin, feeling how wet she was already.

She could smell him getting stronger, as if he was enjoying drawing out her pleasure. She began to pant softly and her fingertips curled into the sheets as he slipped two digits into her and immediately found her G spot, making her hips jolt reflexively into his touch.

She hadn’t realized how close she actually was until he brushed the pad of his thumb over her clit and she realized in what was sort of an afterthought that she had begun to roll her hips into his touch.

Walter felt the slight change in her demeanor and he felt her flutter around his fingers, and being such a quick study, he had already learned that those were two of the signs that she was close to her completion, so he leaned over her and began scattering kisses across her chest and up the side of her neck to her ear before pressing his cheek to hers lovingly, and easing her back against the pillows.

“God, you’re beautiful…”, came Walter’s low groan as he felt her legs wrap around one of his legs and her toes curl against his calf as she shivered and let out a soft sigh of his name as she came.

Walter was on all fours, hovering over her with all his weight on his knees and the hand that wasn’t busy between Paige’s legs was cupping her jaw gently, his thumb caressing her jawbone as if she was made out of fine china and wasn’t a super durable and strong newborn vampire.

Walter removed his hand from between her thighs and Paige panted unevenly and gazed up at him from where she laid against the pillows as he cleaned his fingers off, which Paige had to admit was very hot. She was burning up under his gaze, recognizing the smoldering look in his eyes from when he had gone down on her the day before.

“Please…”, she murmured and lifted her legs up around Walter’s hips, pulling him close to her, “I need you right now…”

Walter went to move off of her and she whined, pulling him closer, and he had to chuckle softly at her impatience.

“All my condoms are back in my bag, love…”, he whispered, kissing her softly.

“I’m not ovulating, you can smell it when I am, can’t you?”, Paige whispered, sliding her hand down, making him shiver as her fingertips curled gently around his cock and began moving slowly.

Walter’s eyes fluttered closed as he recalled how horny he had been whenever Paige had been ovulating (or rather, when she was supposed to be ovulating, as the shot prevented the release of the egg but her scent was still different), her normal scent had been even more enticing than ever, and in a similar fashion, during her period, he had been able to sense the blood, but since it was ‘dead blood’, it didn’t appeal to him or anyone else.

He smelt none of that now, only her desire for him.

“You’re right…you’re not ovulating…”, Walter sucked lightly at her skin, tasting her and making an estimation, “Your body won’t go through any changes like that for another ten and a half days…So even if you did ovulate, none of my sperm would still be alive to fertilize your egg…”

“Then you can forego the use of a condom if you’d like…I-I have Plan B, just in case…”, Paige murmured between kisses.

“Well, your new physiology creates strict adherence to your monthly cycles, that’s why vampires, _oh_ , vampires d-don’t have very many unplanned pregnancies.”, Walter replied, continuing after he had been derailed by a soft exclamation as she swept her thumb around the head of his shaft, loving how they could discuss things like this, even in the middle of foreplay, and not kill the mood.

Walter didn’t want to admit that the idea of having nothing separating the two of them was one that he had regularly entertained in his sexual fantasies.

Little did he know that even amid Paige’s cautions when it came to unprotected sex, she had wanted the same thing (and, even though she knew a child would complicate things, she was sure that there was absolutely nobody she’d rather have as the father of her child than Walter O’Brien).

Perhaps it was the arousal or Paige jerking him off slowly beneath the covers that had him nodding and lining up at her entrance.

Walter felt muscles in his back and the backs of his thighs sting with protest and he grit his teeth. It was apparent that yesterday’s mating had left him achy, so he knew Paige must be hurting too and with that in mind, he resolved to be gentle with her.  

His final thought as he slipped into her tight slick heat was the image of Paige from the photograph taken years ago when she had been carrying Ralph, only his brain had altered it so that her age matched her current age and, instead of turning him off to the notion of making love to her, it made him surge into her with renewed vigor, growling her name into the crook of her neck.

He could contemplate that later, but for now, his vast attention narrowed to how Paige was responding to his actions.

Her tapered fingers were deep in his curls and gripping his shoulder, gaining purchase on his back, holding him close as she kissed him deeply.

Paige made a soft noise of pleasure and he pulled back to study her features in the beautiful glow of the rising sun.

Her lips were swollen and parted, the tips of her fangs barely touching her lower lip, her eyes practically turning to an inferno of red, gold, and copper.

He lowered himself to her body so that their chests were barely touching, and her taught nipples brushed across his chest, drawing a gasp from her and making Walter shift his weight to his knees and left forearm, the fingertips of his right hand sweeping over her left breast so utterly gently, making her turn her head into the pillow and whimper just the first syllable of his name before tightening around him.

“I love you…”, Walter murmured as she raised shaky legs and wrapped them around his waist, taking him deeper until he was bottoming out inside of her.

He exhaled shakily, placing his forehead to hers and grinding into her.

She captured his lips and then said, “Harder.”, her lips brushing over his, and Walter obeyed, starting to feel the tingle at the base of his spine growing stronger.

“P-Paige, I’m close…”

“Use your hands, I’ll get there…”

Instead of hands, Walter remembered, amid the love and arousal, the pillow trick Paige had pulled last night, and so he lifted her hips and thrust a pillow beneath them, changing the angle so that he could grind his pelvis against her clit, which seemed to work very well for him as Paige was coming and shivering hard in his arms a few minutes later, moaning his full name in a voice that was soft yet high pitched and needy, before laying limp and satisfied against the pillows, urging him on towards his own orgasm by tightening her legs around his waist once more and drawing him in deep.

He came a minute and a half later, collapsing against her chest while murmuring her beautiful name, spilling himself within her in an act that was somehow more arousing than what he had imagined it to be.

After what seemed like forever of Walter catching his breath and Paige running her fingers through his hair, the both of them gazed into each other’s eyes and something snapped and both of them burst into giggles, the pheromones and endorphins making them both giddy in their post-coital haze.

Paige sucked in a breath as Walter removed himself from her, not honestly caring that they had dirtied the sheets.      

“How are you feeling?”, he asked softly, laying down on top of her in a better, less uncomfortable position so that his weight was on his forearms, but arranged in a way that had him resting his head against her stomach with the rest of his body laying between her legs and covered by the blanket.

“Mmm,”, Paige hummed, “I’ll be alright…just relax…”, she said, her fingers massaging his scalp.

“It won’t leak out, will it?”, Walter asked, wanting to know how much time they had before she’d be uncomfortable.

“It will eventually, but we have a little bit of time before that happens…”

Walter wrapped his arms around her body as she ran her fingers through his curly hair, making him smile contentedly.

This is what he loved the most about making love to Paige, he could satisfy his craving for her gentle touch just by laying in a post-coital bliss with her.

Between the release of endorphins, their mingled pheromones, and her fingertips massaging his scalp, Walter was so tempted to fall asleep right then and there, but he stayed awake because the moment he tried to sleep, Paige nudged him and said she had to get up, and Walter nodded in agreement.

“I don’t think I’ll really need a shower, but I would like to just freshen up and wipe down…care to join me?”, Paige murmured softly as Walter picked himself up off of her and sat at the edge of the bed, “I can’t really reach the center of my back on my own…”

The image of running a soft flannel washcloth over Paige’s skin was a nice one and Walter found himself nodding rapidly, causing her to giggle again.

“I’ll get my outfit together then…I suggest you do the same…”, she added, and Walter rolled out of bed with Paige right beside him.

He began to pick up his clothes off the floor and felt the tightness of his thighs, abs, and lower back muscles a split second before he heard Paige whimper in pain.

He turned and saw Paige with one hand braced against the bedside table and her other arm crossed over her abdomen, her eyes shut tight.

“Are you okay?”, Walter asked, more concerned for her well-being than his own.

“I’ll be okay…”, she muttered.

“Is it from last night or this morning?”, he asked.

Paige nodded.

“Both.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“I have ibuprofen in my purse…”, she replied, “If you can hand it to me, I’ll get it out…”

Walter nodded and got her purse, his knees popping as he stood.

“Ouch.”, Paige said, placing an ibuprofen tablet into his hand, which he dry-swallowed, “I guess we’re both a little sore after last night…”

“Yeah…”, he murmured and watched as Paige stood at her full height and stretched with her arms up over her head, pushing her breasts forward as her back arched, her joints also popping as her body did wonderful things to fuel his eidetic memory.

She stretched in similar ways at the garage and he had always fantasized about what she looked like if there weren’t clothes obstructing his view. He had always scolded himself heavily for imagining Paige like that at work, but it was clear that fantasy had nothing on reality.

“Oops.”, Paige muttered and glanced downward, grabbing a tissue from the bedside table and putting it between her legs and Walter felt the heat rise in his cheeks.

“I’m just gonna go get this taken care of…”, she muttered and walked into the bathroom.

“I’ll be along in a moment…and I’ll change the sheets…”, Walter said as he opened his laptop and booted it up, images of her body still lingering in the front of his mind.

“Okay thanks, but don’t keep me waiting…”, she said in a light voice, “Remember, we still have breakfast to get to.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it…”, Walter murmured and he smiled when he heard her soft laugh, following her after the bedsheets were changed and the dirty ones were tossed into the hamper. 

They both disappeared into their separate cubicles and while Walter contemplated whether or not he would like to father Paige’s future children, provided, of course, that she actually wanted to have more children ( _“I just don’t think I’m ready to be a father so soon, so perhaps waiting is truly best, after all, Paige will still be able to have children in a hundred years due to her new rate of aging…”_ , he thought), Paige was twisting herself into odd positions and trying to relax her pelvic floor and Kegels, as her muscles were tense and sore, but in a ‘hurts so good’ type of way.

 _“Damn, I really need to chill for a little while. Yeah, Walter’s the most all around attractive man I’ve ever known and yeah, we’re mates, but maybe I should stop trying to jump his bones whenever he gives me that look…”_ , Paige thought to herself as she massaged her abdomen and tried to stretch away the tension. 

When Paige finally emerged from her cubicle (after many pelvic floor relaxation techniques that she had learned from her OB/GYN before Ralph had been born and some minor experimentation with the bidet, she had finally felt confident in the fact that she wouldn’t drip), she saw that Walter had laid a plush towel onto the floor so the marble wouldn’t get wet and had filled up one of the sinks with hot water.

Walter turned to her and smiled gently before turning back to the sink.

Paige came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, and Walter watched her beautiful eyes as she dipped one of the washcloths into the basin before wringing it out and lathering it up with Walter’s body wash.

“Hello.”, she murmured.

“Hey.”, he replied, unsure of what else to say.

Being with Paige like this was a whole new experience and he thoroughly enjoyed every moment they spent together in a romantic and domestic capacity.

How he had managed to go so long without her in the past was a mystery but he inhaled sharply and all thoughts fled his mind as her arousal was evident in the air, telling him that even though her flesh was weak, her spirit was most definitely still willing.

He sighed as the flannel passed over the skin of his back and closed his eyes as she ran it over his body, working it over his tense muscles, soaping the area and then rinsing the cloth in clean water to wipe it away. He could feel his blood headed south and didn’t care in the slightest, releasing his arousal in reciprocation, smiling as he heard her hum softly in appreciation. She got to his chest and then began trailing the cloth lower and lower, forcing him to open his eyes.

As much as he loved Paige and enjoyed her company, and as much as he had enjoyed making love to her, he clammed up at the thought of her doing this one simple act, which annoyed him because he had been fine until now.

She was staring unblinkingly into his eyes as she passed the washcloth over his base as he struggled to remain impassive and then something snapped in him as he blinked and saw _her_ instead of Paige.

Her murky red eyes and twisted, practically psychotic smirk.

Her hair bleached so much that it had turned white, making her look like a ghost.

_“Walter…”_

Her voice, terrifying and cold, that whining singsong tone she used to get his attention affecting him like her talon-sharp nails being dragged down a chalkboard.

It was Lauren, one of his exes, a woman he’d rather not think about ever again.

“M-maybe I should take care of that….”, he stammered and caught her by the wrist, stopping her motions and blinking rapidly, hoping to clear the image Lauren from his mind’s eye.

Relief washed over him when he was met with Paige’s image instead, bringing him back to reality.

Paige immediately relinquished her hold on the washcloth, her warm ruby eyes wide with surprise.

“I-I’m sorry…”, she murmured, standing up and turning away from Walter, crossing her arms over her breasts in a defensive way, her scent reflecting embarrassment, her eyes cast away from his in the reflection, which cut him like a knife, especially after their earlier activities.

“No, its fine, I just would rather take care of that myself…I’m a little neurotic about certain things…I-I hope you don’t mind…”, Walter replied, quickly finishing the job, “But you’re free to continue with my legs if you wanted to…”

 Paige turned back to him and smiled softly before continuing.

“Uh, may I ask why you’re neurotic about that?”, she asked as she rinsed out the washcloth and put it on a nearby bar to dry.

Walter sighed and recalled one of his crazier exes.

“Um, it was an ex, her name was Lauren… this was her fetish… uh she was pretty crazy and not in the good way… I broke up with her before starting Scorpion. I haven’t seen her in years, thank God…”, He replied, not meeting Paige’s eyes.

Paige nodded.

“She kind of ruined it for you?”, Paige asked.

“She _definitely_ ruined it for me…”, Walter replied, “I’m sorry…I-I should have been more open with you when you asked about things that I didn’t like…”

Paige nodded.

“No, no, don’t be sorry for that. I have things that Drew ruined for me that I didn’t share the other day because I was embarrassed.”

“Like what?”

“Uh,”, Paige blushed, “Anal sex…”

Walter’s eyes widened and he went beet red before coughing a little. He was surprised that Paige had even done something like that and she glanced at him and rolled her eyes.

“Hard to believe I’d even try something like that, right?”, she asked, unaware that she had voiced his thoughts.

“Uh, yeah.”, Walter replied as Paige pulled her hair up in a messy bun and drained the sink, rinsing all the soap away.

Walter busied his hands with drying off as Paige refilled the basin and reached for a fresh washcloth and her body wash.

“I thought it would be fine, but Drew was too rough and it was just really painful instead, even with lubrication, so never hesitate to tell me when you’re not cool with something…”, she replied as Walter began rubbing the washcloth over her arms.

“Okay. Do you think we should have a safeword, just in case one of us ever does something that the other isn’t comfortable with?”, Walter inquired working up to her shoulders before noticing how tense they were and putting the washcloth down, opting instead to massage out her neck and shoulders.

“That’s a good idea…it’s got to be something simple to remember, but not something we’d normally say during sex.”, she replied before she made that adorable face that Walter had come to associate with her thinking, a face which melted into one of bliss and her eyes slid shut as he massaged her tense muscles.

“Insipid.”, she replied softly after a few beats of silence, “It’s not a word we use every day, but it’s easy to remember…”

“I think it’s a good word. Now if either one of us says it, all sexual contact must stop immediately.”

“Agreed.”

When Walter finished working out the knots in Paige’s shoulders and neck with his fingertips, he lathered up the washcloth and turned her around.

Walter got distracted when Paige kissed him deeply but then he broke the kiss and gently reminded her of their time constraint and she nodded, allowing him to get back on track.

 When he got to the space just below her collarbones and above her cleavage, he passed over her smooth skin with the cloth and a black V appeared on her skin before fading away again.

Walter figured it was a trick of the light until he rinsed the area and the V was back, only this time, the edges swept up onto Paige’s collarbones and looked like feathers and flames inked into her skin, but it disappeared when the hot washcloth went away.

“Paige, look at this…”, Walter said and turned her to face the mirror before running the washcloth over her skin again.

Paige gasped.

“Oh my God, what is that?”, Paige asked, clearly shocked at the discovery, taking the washcloth from his hands and rubbing vigorously at her skin until it was pink and raw.

“It looks like a tattoo…”, Walter muttered, “but it’s beneath the skin…invisible until you put hot water on it…did you notice it yesterday in the shower after you changed?”

Paige shook her head and then looked at the shower stall.

Walter could see an idea forming in her head.

“I wonder how far it spreads…”, she mused aloud as she tightened her bun and walked over to the shower and Walter pulled a towel around his waist.

“I’m going to turn on the hot water and you’re going to tell me what you see.”, she said before switching on the hot water and standing under the spray and Walter had to remind himself that this was an experiment, not Paige rinsing off sexily in the shower.

 _“God, Paige, you are so beautiful…”,_ he thought to himself.

As the water washed over her, more of the strange tattoo-like markings became visible, spreading across her décolletage, and when Paige turned, there were flames and feathers forming intricate wings on her back in thin black ink.

It was beautiful but Walter felt bad for Paige because she had never agreed to have something like this done to her.

“Paige, it looks like you were tattooed…”, Walter murmured.

“Is it bad?”, she asked nervously, glancing out at Walter through the tendrils of steam.

“No, it’s beautiful…Especially your back…I could take pictures, but I don’t want them to get leaked if I was ever hacked.”, he replied.

“You can take them, show them to me, and then delete them…”

“Nothing can ever truly be deleted…”, Walter stated.

“Then it’s a risk I’m willing to take…Just one question, are they on my breasts or butt?”, she asked.

“No, just chest, shoulders, and upper back. Just cover your breasts and I’ll make sure everything from your waist down is cropped out.”, Walter said and got his phone from the bedside in the room.

“You said feathers and flames…”, Paige said, “I wonder what that means…unless body art is somehow my gift…”

“I don’t know…Fire and feathers sounds like a mythical creature that Megan told me about when we were kids…”, Walter said then caught one word repeatedly being typed on his laptop, forcing him to trail off.

  _“Phoenix”_

He had almost missed the word repeating on and on again all the way down the screen in a Word document…

He had been thinking about Paige’s tattoo being reminiscent of a phoenix, but had never said so out loud. 

But his computer had somehow figured it out.

 _“I need to delete this document…God knows how long it’s gone on like this…”_ , he thought to himself, but as he went to approach his laptop, the word stopped before the entire document flashed and then deleted altogether.

Walter froze.

It was almost as if his computer was one step ahead of him, which was, by all accounts, impossible, unless mated convergence during last night’s activities had given him a gift.

He decided to test this theory.

He got the image of Paige standing with her back to him in his head, and suddenly the Word document was back, using symbols and letters and numbers to chart out Paige’s back tattoo, line by line, automatically.

 _“This is impossible and utterly laughable…”_ , he thought, huffing at the irony of his gift, _“Of all the gifts out there, I get the one where my mind links directly into technology…namely a Word document.”_

Just then, every single program on his computer tried to open at once, almost as if it had to prove that Walter had full control over all the programs.

Walter swore under his breath and began closing every program he could.

 _“Wait. If I can control this, why not just say stop? If my logic is correct, it’ll stop.”,_ he thought.

“Stop.”, he demanded.

Everything froze.

“Uh… close everything but the Word document?”, Walter asked, feeling like a complete idiot for talking to a computer.

But the computer obeyed.

“Walter? What’s taking so long?”, Paige called, “And who are you talking to?”

Walter swore inside his head as he remembered that Paige could hear much better as a vampire than she ever could as a normal.

“Uh, nobody…I’ll be right back!”, he replied before turning back to the laptop and face-palming in agitation because the word _‘Shit!’_ was now in italics and a large font on the Word document.

It was like technology was mocking him.

That thought had just crossed his mind when the lights flashed in the bedroom.

 _“Okay, make that technology and electricity…”_ , he thought, rolling his eyes.

“Uh, Paige?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’ve discovered my gift…”, Walter stated, running his fingers through his curly hair.

“Really?”, Paige asked, “Oh my God, that’s amazing! What can you do?”

Walter padded back into the bathroom with his phone.

“Technology…I can control technology…”, he replied, “Maybe even electricity too…I don’t know…”

“Well, that’s awfully fitting.”, Paige replied as she covered her breasts with her hands and stepped under the spray, the tattoos becoming visible once more as Walter snapped a picture, before Paige turned and her back became a work of art as he took another photograph.

“You know, I think the feathers and flames have to do with a phoenix…”, Walter mused aloud as Paige turned off the shower and toweled off.

“Phoenixes aren’t real…”, Paige replied simply, wrapping the towel around her upper chest and stepping into Walter’s embrace before kissing him on the cheek.

“According to normals who don’t know any better, we don’t exist either…”, Walter replied.

“Touché.”, Paige replied before her stomach grumbled, “Can I see the photos you took?”, she asked, nodding her head towards his phone.

“Watch this…”, Walter said and mentally unlocked and opened his phone to the photos and Paige gasped as she saw them.

“These are beautiful…”, she said in awe, flipping between the two photos, “Oh my God, look at my back...that’s amazing…”

“I know…”, Walter replied softly, “So, are you okay with them? You never said you wanted tattoos…”, he asked.

Paige shrugged.

“Well, they only appear under hot water, or so I’ve noticed, so nobody really has to know about them, right?”, she asked, shaking out her hair from the bun and running a wide toothed comb through her tresses.

 Walter shrugged.

“Some covens place a lot of importance on identifying marks…”, Walter replied, “We don’t, but the _Vecchio Ordine_ might, so if we meet the Moretti family, they may ask if you have any gifts, so it would probably be best to let them know about your vanishing tattoo…who knows, there might be a history of some gifts being associated with markings.”

Paige placed her towel on the hook in the bathroom and sauntered into the bedroom, her hips swaying as she walked.

Walter followed, wrapping her up in his arms from behind and peppering kisses along her neck.

“Tattoos or not, you are beautiful.”, he murmured, nuzzling against her.

“Walter, I swear, you’re like a completely new person.”, Paige murmured, turning in his embrace and fixing him with a loving smile.

“I think you’ve influenced me…”, He replied, kissing her once more before crossing the room to get dressed, “I mean, look at Sylvester and Megan. After they became mates, Megan became a little obsessed with order and Sylvester became much more tactile and open to new things…Up until last night, I’ve never seen Sylvester so much as touch alcohol, but there he was drinking red wine with dinner like it was no big deal…”

Paige hummed.

“You’re right… I did notice that.”, she replied.

“See, and I’ve remembered your favorite sculptures and I have also become much more tactile…”, Walter added, buttoning up his favorite purple shirt before rolling up the sleeves.

“I wonder how you’ve influenced me…”, Paige mused aloud as she placed a panty liner in her underwear before pulling them on and selecting a lavender top and a gray Bermuda shorts, “I haven’t really noticed anything so far…”

“I have a feeling you will in time…”, Walter said as he took her hand and they left their room to go to breakfast.

On the way down, they rounded a corner and came across Happy and Toby making out behind a column.

Happy had the behaviorist pinned against the marble by his lapels as Toby ran his fingers through Happy’s hair, both of them oblivious to the fact that they had just been caught in the act.

The couple sprang apart immediately when Paige cleared her throat, both of them red faced.

“What was that?”, Walter asked and then Happy and Toby began talking over one another rapidly.

“Well, Happy thought…”

“Toby had this idea about an experiment…”

“We never thought it would turn out like this.”

“Honestly, I never knew how I felt about the guy.”

“Until earlier when she- “

“When we…”

“When we decided to try something.”

“Anyway here we are and I know you don’t like fraternization.”

“Which is really hypocritical since you and Paige are obviously together…”

“Toby thinks you’ll fire us…”

“Please don’t fire us…”

As Happy and Toby tried to explain themselves, they both mentioned fraternization and Walter shook his head and silenced them by raising a hand and motioning for them to stop.

 “Paige and I heard you guys arguing last night… All we want to know is how you two got together…”, Walter clarified.

They both visibly relaxed.

“You can tell us on the way to breakfast…”, Paige said.

Happy inhaled and looked at Toby as if to ask, _“Should I tell them or do you want to do the honors yourself?”_ , and Toby nodded for her to continue.

“Well, we were arguing last night because Toby has a bad habit of using all the hot water. I got mad and threatened him with cold showers for the duration of our time here, so what does the doc do? He goes to the kitchen, gets me a bowl of gelato and apologizes to me for it.”, Happy explains.

“I honestly didn’t think she’d accept my apology, but here we are.”, Toby said, “We spent all night talking and we fell asleep in her bed...I woke up this morning and she was still there, watching me sleep…and here I was thinking that she’d be calling me out for being the creepy one…”

“You’re still creepy…don’t try your luck…I was only wondering how someone as annoying as you could be such a dull person when you’re sleeping…I would’ve thought for sure that you had some weird sleeping habit or that you snored or something, but no, there you were, still and silent the whole time…you didn’t even try to steal the blanket…”, Happy replied, and Paige noticed how her tone grew fonder and her hard gaze softened as she went on, but decided to remain silent on the change in Happy’s demeanor.

“So how did you end up kissing behind a column?”, Paige asked.

“Oh, I kissed Happy on the cheek before I went to go back to my room this morning and told her how I felt about her, and left her to think about it before we met to go to breakfast.”, Toby said proudly.

“But I was the one who told him that I felt the same and acted on it in the hall outside our bedrooms.”, Happy added.

“And again on the stairs…and once more in the foyer…”, Toby listed.

“That was you in the foyer, Doc…”, Happy corrected.

“Oh, yeah…”

“But the column was all me.”, Happy stated.   

Walter nodded.

“So I assume it’s safe to say that you’re a couple?”, Walter asked.

“Uh…”, Toby looked at Happy who nodded, “Yeah…that’s right, boss, we’re a couple…Scorpion’s very own ‘Brangelina’…we’re Quintis!”, he exclaimed and Walter pinched the bridge of his nose before shooting the behaviorist a withering glance.

“You say ‘Quintis’ one more time, and there won’t be a Quintis…”, Happy muttered just as Paige turned and asked, “What the hell’s a Quintis?”.

“You guys are together?”, Sylvester asked as he and Megan came downstairs, hand in hand.

“It took you long enough!”, Megan exclaimed, “God, I thought I was going to have to force you two together with a deathbed wish or something…Same with Walter and Paige…”

Toby was the only one who laughed, everyone else just looked at each other awkwardly, still uncomfortable with Megan’s particular brand of humor, even though she was no longer dying.

“Megan, even when you aren’t at death’s doorstep, you still make the best jokes…”, Toby said as they entered the dining room and found Bruno, Maria, Kim, Santana, Cabe and Ralph all sitting there eating breakfast.

“ _Buongiorno_ ,”, Bruno greeted, “I trust you all slept well?”

 “Or at least found the beds comfortable enough if you were jet lagged and couldn’t sleep?”, Maria added.

“I can’t speak for everyone, but Sylvester and I both slept very well, didn’t we?”, Megan stated cheerily and Sylvester nodded in agreement as he held out Megan’s chair for her.

“The pillows were very comfy…”, Ralph piped up, “Are they stuffed with down or synthetic material?”

“Down…but we have synthetics if you prefer…”, Maria replied.

“No, down is fine…I like down…”, he replied before taking another few bites of his slice of breakfast torte.

“And how about you two?”, Maria asked, gesturing towards Walter and Paige, “You’re down here early…”

“Oh we’re fine.”, Walter replied as he took a sip of his latte and began buttering a roll.

“Early?”, Paige asked and glanced at her watch, “We were almost late…”

Bruno and Maria glanced at each other and Bruno smiled.

“What my wife means to say is that you and Walter became mates yesterday, so we would have expected you down here later than usual because you were enjoying each other’s company.”, Bruno replied.

Walter coughed on his latte and Paige’s face went red, causing the rest of the adults to chuckle at the pair.

 _“It’s like they know Paige and I had sex this morning and they’re trying to rub it in…”_ , Walter thought.

“That’s illogical… There’s no good reason for us being late because we’re part of this coven and it’s our responsibility to be present when needed…”, Paige murmured.

Walter glanced at her because that’s definitely something he would have said.

“Paige, I think Walter’s rubbed off on you…”, Cabe said with a knowing grin.

Ralph looked around, confused at the reactions of the adults in the room.

“I don’t get it.”, he said plainly, “Mom, what did Mr. Bruno mean by you and dad enjoying each other’s company? We all enjoy being with one another, but I agree with you, I don’t think it should be a free pass to excuse one’s tardiness.”

Kim and Santana burst out laughing but stopped when Ralph still looked confused and a bit hurt.

Paige and Walter looked at each other and tried to explain, but did a poor job of organizing their thoughts, so Toby took over.

“Ralphie boy,”, he began and Happy shook her head but he ignored her, “when two people like your mom and dad love each other and, if they’re vampires, get bound together as mates, they like spending time having s— “

Toby was cut off when he felt Happy applying pain to his shins in warning.

“Having what, Toby?”, Ralph asked.

Paige shook her head and Walter’s eyes dared him to finish that sentence.

“Having…so much fun, uh, coordinating their outfits…”, Toby said, standing with a flourish and pointing to Paige and Walter, who were wearing similar clothes, even though it hadn’t been planned before nodding at Megan to help him out.

Megan got the hint and stood up, motioning for Sylvester to do the same.

“See, we’re both wearing navy blue and white.”, Megan said with a smile, “It’s one of the best ways to show the world that you have a mate, right Sylvester?”, she asked, raising her eyebrows in a way that prompted him to agree for the sake of the ruse.  

“Of course.”, Sylvester replied, placing a kiss to the back of Megan’s hand, hoping to sell the act.

“Oh, okay…”, Ralph said after a couple tense beats of silence, and everyone sighed in relief, before sitting back down.

“Crisis averted…”, Paige murmured as she leaned over to Walter, who shrugged minutely.

“Don’t be so sure…”, he replied, “Ralph’s a genius, but he has your intuition.”

Santana and Kim looked like they were about to die from holding in their laughter and went into the kitchen where their laughter was all but muffled before returning with another tray of rolls and some small glasses of blood.

“Just a little something to give you a boost…”, Santana said and put the glasses around at everyone’s places, “Sylvester, I made sure to use the purified human in yours...”

“Thank you.”, he said and accepted his glass.

“Can I have a glass?”, Ralph asked as Santana passed him.

“You’re a little young to be craving…Only if it’s okay with your parents…”, he replied, looking to Paige who nodded, “Here you are…”

“What type is it?”, Ralph asked, picking up the glass and sniffing it.

“It’s probably chicken… that’s one of the most common types we have. Chicken is ideal for serving with breakfast because it’s a little lighter.”, Kim replied, “We usually reserve deer, cow, pig, and sheep for lunch and dinner. Human is good for any time of the day…”

Ralph nodded and took a sip, his eyes turning instantly.

 “It’s really good… definitely not as heavy as deer…”

 The rest of the meal went on with everyone talking about their plans for the day when Megan slumped in her chair and Sylvester yelped in shock, halting all the conversations at the table.

“Megan, what’s wrong?”, he asked and cupped her cheeks, his eyes wide and worried.

“I’ve never seen it happen before, but I believe we are in the midst of an Oracle…”, Maria whispered.

Megan stood and then levitated several feet off the ground, her eyes still closed, but when they opened, it was like they were made of white light and glowed, enveloping her body in a strange, misty aura.

Walter had never seen anything like it in his life and he had the feeling like no one else had either.

Megan began to speak but her voice was changed, her Irish accent clear and strong for the first time in years.

_“A fire burns in the heart of the marked one. The shadows lengthen, threatening to eclipse the light. The marked one holds the key, their worthy soul reborn. On the night of the full moon the vengeful will try to seal the fate of us all in secret, but the marked one must give all, even their spirit, to rise against the threat.  Sacrifice must be necessary, but if done properly, the fortunate will rise from the ashes and all will be renewed.”_

Walter glanced at Paige and saw the shock on her face before his brain put it all together an instant later.

This was about her.

Paige was the marked one.

He took Paige’s hand beneath the table and she squeezed it firmly.

She was just as afraid of this as he was.

Megan shook out of her trancelike state a split second later, falling limp into Sylvester’s outstretched arms before blinking awake and looking around at the pure shock on the rest of the coven members’ faces.

“Sylvester…”, she murmured wearily as he guided her back into her chair.

“I’ve got you… you’re okay…”, Sylvester murmured, comforting Megan.

“What happened to me? A-At first I was just fine, then, I felt myself speaking…”, Megan muttered and then gasped, “I remember everything now…”

“It is imperative that we discuss this right now.”, Maria stated, “We are used to having gifted vampires here, but we have never heard anything about marked ones and we’ve never seen gifts like yours.”, she said, nodding towards Megan.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you…This is just as bizarre and unsettling for me as it is for you…”, Megan replied.

“Have you had any dreams lately?”, Toby asked, “Maybe you dreamed about something related to this.”

Megan shook her head.

“Nope, I’ve been pretty much dreamless for the past few nights…All I know is what I said…I have no clue what it means…”

“Then we have a problem.”, Bruno stated, “We don’t know how to adjust our defenses based on your gift…”

“And what if the _Vecchio Ordine_ sees this ‘marked one’ as a threat and decides to take them away or kill them to make sure that the prophecy isn’t fulfilled… I don’t mean to speak ill of them, but only fools will live their whole lives without questioning their government’s true motives…”, Santana added, looking around the table at the coven.

Paige stiffened and her hand squeezed Walter’s again.

“Then we figure out what her speech means and do our best.”, Kim replied.

“Agreed,”, Megan replied.

“Maybe we should clean up here before we start trying to figure out Megan’s riddle…”, Happy suggested.

“I think it’s a prophecy…”, Toby muttered to her.

“Does it matter? Megan just fell into a glowing-eyed trance and said some weird things that have some negative connotations...”, Sylvester replied, “I know we’re all concerned, but we have to prioritize…”

“Well said, kid.”, Cabe said and Megan nodded in agreement.

Walter silently rose from the table and helped clear the dishes before everyone reconvened.

“Okay,”, Santana began, opening his notepad and beginning to write onto it. “Let’s try to figure out what all this means. Megan, repeat back your prophecy, line by line.”

Megan nodded.

“‘A fire burns in the heart of the marked one.’”

“That could mean anything from passion to acid reflux.”, Toby stated, “The marked one could mean that they have a tattoo or a birthmark or a scar of some kind.”

“Well, doc, there are twelve of us here, including myself, and a lot of us have those things.”, Happy replied.

“It could mean any number of things, even someone that has marks in the form of pierced ears or other body modifications…they’re all too vague though…but I think Megan meant someone that has a birthmark…”, Ralph said.

“That’s not what she meant, tattoos, scars, birthmarks…all of it is wrong.”, Paige stated, her voice flat and unfeeling.

Walter glanced to the side at Paige and saw how blank her expression was. It was upsetting to see his mate like this and he hadn’t expected her to give herself up until she knew for certain that her protection would be ensured.

“Mom?”, Ralph asked, confused that his mother would flat out oppose him in a matter of general opinion, “What do you think it means?”

“Megan’s prophecy…it was directed at me…”, 

“What?”, Megan asked in disbelief, “I don’t even know who my prophecy was referring to…how could you know?”

Paige sighed.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the marked one.”

Everyone stopped and looked at Paige.

“You don’t have any marks…”, Cabe said, “When Homeland asked you for any identifying marks, you said you didn’t have any.”

“I can prove it if you want…all I ask is that you give me a few minutes to put on my bathing suit and then I’ll show you what I mean.”, she replied.

“Go right ahead. No offense, but you don’t seem like the type to fight the darkness and sacrifice everything, including your spirit to bring us out of the ashes of destruction or whatever…”, Kim replied.

Paige stood up, still holding Walter’s hand.

“I know I may not look like it, but I have sacrificed a lot in my life, and maybe things are about to change…”, she replied evenly before walking away, her hand slipping out of Walter’s grasp.

Ralph looked at Walter.

“Dad, what’s going to happen to mom?”, he asked in a small voice, once more reminding Walter of just how young Ralph really was.

“I don’t know…”

“Go to her…”, Bruno urged and Walter nodded before taking off and running through the villa to the suite he and Paige were sharing.

He paused outside the doors and sighed before knocking.

“Paige? It’s me, Walter…I just came up to see if you were okay…”

The door opened and Paige grabbed Walter by his hand and pulled him inside the suite before closing it and locking it.

She had tears in her eyes and she didn’t say a word as she brushed past Walter and into the bathroom before going out onto the balcony and sitting down.

Walter followed her in silence and sat down next to her, not saying a word.

“I’m scared…”, Paige whispered after what felt like hours of silence, “I don’t know what my gifts are…Megan made it seem like I was some great big hero, but I don’t know about all that…I don’t feel any different.”

“Maybe you aren’t the marked one…”, Walter mused and Paige shook her head.

“No, no, I am the marked one…I just know I am…when Megan was in her trance, it was like something inside of me said ‘Yes, she’s talking about you, so you better listen…’ and I heard what she said about sacrificing everything…”

“I heard her…”

“But that’s the problem!”, Paige exclaimed before sighing and looking out over the property, the air filling with a tense silence, “Have you ever read a book called _The Giving Tree_?”, Paige asked quietly.

Walter shook his head.

“No, I’ve never heard of it…”, he replied.

“I-I don’t suppose you would have…it’s a children’s book by Shel Silverstein that I used to read to Ralph when he was little… It’s about an apple tree whose sole purpose is to give all of herself to a boy who needs her. It follows the boy throughout his life, and starts out with the tree letting the boy play in her branches, but then as the boy gets older, he wants money, so the tree gives him her apples to sell, he wants a house, so she lets him cut her branches, he wants a boat, so the tree lets him cut her trunk to build a boat until finally when the boy returns, now an old man, all he wants is a quiet place to sit and the tree, since she’s a stump now, gives him a quiet place to sit…”

“That’s pretty depressing for a children’s book…”, Walter murmured.

“But the tree was happy throughout all of it because she was practicing selfless love…I mean, some people do see it as a destructive relationship between the boy and the tree, but I see it as selflessness…”

“And you’re comparing yourself to the apple tree, because you feel like you’ve given a lot of yourself to others and now that you’re gifted, Megan predicted that you would have to give even your spirit to save others and you don’t think you can do that?”, Walter asked.

Paige nodded.

“I’ve sacrificed a lot for Ralph and put my life at risk for this coven and company…I’m not a selfish person…”

“No, you aren’t…”

“I just don’t think I can happily give all I have and be okay with it…”, Paige said and nudged a leaf with her foot, pushing it off the balcony.

“Paige, I’m sure that when the time comes, you’ll know what you need to do and you’ll be able to make that decision, but for right now, it’s like you said, you don’t know what your gifts are, you don’t know what’s going to happen--”

“Well then, what do you know?”, Paige asked, propping her folded arms on her knees and resting her chin on them.

Walter sighed and scooted closer to her.

“I know that you are very strong…I know that whatever happens, this coven will stand by you, Ralph will always love his mother, and I know that I made a promise to Ralph that I would take care of you.”, he replied before shifting so he was on his knees and took Paige’s hand, pulling her into a kneeling position as well so that he could hold her, “And I know that now I can promise you that no matter what happens, I will stand beside you.”

“Thank you, Walter.”

He held her for a few more moments and then Paige began to stand.

“Well, I suppose I had better change…after all, I have a point to prove.”, she said as they walked inside.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs if you’d like…give you a few minutes to collect your thoughts on your own…maybe experiment a little to see if you have gifts…”, Walter said as he closed the balcony doors behind himself and no sooner had the words left his mouth than a dull thud echoed in the bathroom and a small round projectile collided with the balcony doors.

Paige jumped and Walter opened the doors again, looking around for the source.

“Oh no…”, he said when he discovered the ‘projectile’.

“What was that?”, Paige asked, “I hope it wasn’t a bird…”

“It was…”, Walter said and felt awful when he said it.

Normally, a dead bird was no problem as the occasional bird would fly into the windows of the garage and usually have to be picked up off the sidewalk later, but this felt different.

He knelt down to look and see if it was still alive, and it was, but only barely hanging on, its little heart beating erratically.

“Oh my God…it’s still alive…”, Paige murmured, joining him on the balcony, only she had brought a towel with her and used it to pick up the little bird, “It’s only a baby…poor thing doesn’t look more than a month old…”

“Paige…I can tell that this bird is in pain, I know you can too…and it’s close to death…”, Walter began.

“No.”, Paige replied firmly, shaking her head, “Don’t say what I think you’re going to say…”

“Maybe we should think about putting it out of its misery…”, Walter stated.

Paige shook her head.

“No, I can’t believe you just said that…”

“Paige, be reasonable…we’re vampires, we kill things and drink their blood…we deal with death all the time, it’s a part of life…”, Walter replied.

“Be reasonable?? Really?”, she asked incredulously, “Walter, we weren’t hunting this bird, it flew into the window and now it’s just got to either heal or pass naturally…we shouldn’t intervene and decide for nature…”, Paige replied, sniffling as the bird’s heartbeat grew weaker, “If it’s time for this little bird to pass, it will pass…I just feel bad knowing that this was some mama bird’s baby and now it’s dying…”

Walter sat down beside her and looked down at the bird.

“I don’t usually get this emotional over something like this…I guess my changing physiology is also altering my hormones…”

“It’s possible…”, Walter murmured.

It was pretty sad how this bird had been alive and well and probably would have survived if he had left the doors open a few more seconds. In that case, it would have flown around in the room, and then they would have been able to coax it outside somehow…

 Paige sniffled again and then began to cry as the little bird died.

 _“Well, it’s too late for all that now. Great job, you killed a bird and made Paige cry, as if today wasn’t stressful enough already…”_ , Walter thought to himself.

“God, I wish I wasn’t this emotional, now I’m crying…”, Paige muttered and Walter pulled out a handkerchief but paused before handing it over to Paige as she blinked and a tear fell onto the baby bird.

It was almost as if it had happened in slow motion and then he handed her the handkerchief and Paige murmured her thanks before wiping her eyes.

Walter thought back on what Megan had told him about phoenixes, phrases that she had read straight from the pages of her _Harry Potter_ book, and later from the mythology books that Walter had brought home for her from the library.

“Paige, if you are gifted with the powers of the phoenix, then, in theory, shouldn’t your tears have healing properties?”, he asked.

“That’s just fictional…”

“No but remember what Megan said earlier about fire burning in your heart, about the fortunate rising from the ashes, phoenixes erupt in fire when they die and are reborn from the ashes…”

“But they aren’t real…”, Paige insisted, “they can’t be real…” 

 Walter shrugged.

“I don’t know…I know this sounds clichéd, but, Paige, maybe you need to believe in yourself…”, he replied.

Paige sat the towel down and got up, anger and sadness mingling together.

He hadn’t planned on making her mad, so he just sat there and listened.

“Look, Walter, even if there were such things as phoenixes, it doesn’t mean that I would automatically be one. I mean look at me, I’m not a giant bird from some myth, I can’t breathe fire and I cried all over that poor little bird, and it’s still dead.”

Paige didn’t know it but Walter could see the flecks of copper and gold in her eyes beginning to glow brighter and as she paced, her footprints began to let off steam.

“Uh, Paige?”, Walter went to speak but Paige silenced him.

“No, I’m not done yet…I may have the markings and I may technically be a soul reborn because that’s what happened when you get changed, but, Walter, please, enough with this phoenix nonsense!”

“Paige? Uh, something’s happening…”, Walter said as Paige put her back to him and he saw the markings on her skin glowing orange through the sheer material of her blouse before she turned and the markings on her collarbones and chest were glowing too, a mirage forming around her as her breathing became labored.

Paige was radiating heat, he could feel it from a distance and he glanced over at the baby bird before standing and backing away from his mate towards the doors.

Paige tracked his movements with her eyes, which now resembled embers and it had spread to her sclerae, making her look like she was glowing from the inside out.

Paige’s hair was lifted in the rising heat, but it did not singe.   

“You’re right, something’s happening, I’m setting the record straight on this phoenix myth! There are no such things as werewolves, dragons, the Loch Ness Monster, zombies, trolls, giants, unicorns, or Pegasus and there’s definitely no such things as phoenixes!”

With that statement, Paige went up in flames.

 


	15. Fire Burns, Lightning Strikes, and The Truth Comes Out

Her markings burned right through her shirt, set her pants on fire and her feet left burn marks on the floor of the balcony as flames engulfed her, burning blue at her markings.

At that exact same moment, he detected the heartbeat of the bird and saw it hop up, uninjured, and fly away, not concerned that the woman who had resurrected it was now a pillar of fire.

“Paige!”, Walter shouted as she screamed and tried to wave out the flames and then stifle them with her hands, and as a reflex, Walter’s first instinct was to run to her, but then he remembered the fire extinguisher and ran into the bathroom to grab it, before running back and seeing Paige, now fully ablaze, rolling on the floor, and proceeding to put her out.

Paige froze the instant the extinguisher foam hit her and she curled up on her side as the flames began to die.

“Come on, come on…”, Walter muttered as the flames fought back against his assault but grew weaker and weaker.

When the last of the flames had faded away, Walter practically dove into the mess of white foam from the extinguisher and touched Paige’s arm before quickly withdrawing his hand in shock at how hot she still was before steeling himself and lifting Paige’s limp figure into his arms, hissing as her skin burned his hands and forearms. Her heartbeat was weak, her breathing was shallow, and she was unconscious.

 Her clothes had been completely burned off and laid unrecognizable and forgotten in the mess of extinguisher foam, and he looked around the bathroom before settling on placing her in the bathtub and propping her head up on a rolled up towel.

The markings were jet black now and small tendrils of soot trailed from them onto her breasts and neck. Steam was rising from her body. She had some scrapes and bruises from rolling around on the concrete, but she appeared otherwise unharmed and there were no burns on her, even though the flames had left behind smoky black smudge marks on her skin.   

“Paige, love? Can you hear me? I’m just going to fill the tub with some lukewarm water and get you cleaned up, okay?”, Walter said as he ran his burned hands and forearms under cold water at the sink, not caring that his skin was now an angry red color or that it stung in protest, because Paige was still unconscious and the fear he felt was enough to outweigh the pain, “I know you aren’t supposed to bathe people while they’re unconscious, but I won’t leave your side for anything, I promise, I will take care of you…”, he said as he went back to her side and brushed her soot and foam covered hair back off her face.

He knelt beside her for a long time until she was once again breathing normally, her chest rising and falling evenly, and her heart was beating steadily.

 Walter sighed in slight relief and carefully began to fill the tub. He found some gentle soap in her bag and, to his surprise, he found a pitcher in the bathroom cabinet and put it off to the side to use to rinse Paige off because it would be much gentler on her skin than turning on the sprayer.

He started from her feet, the same ones he had massaged the other day on their bed back at the garage and began to work away the grime. That day seemed like so long ago and it hadn’t been a week.

How things had changed in an instant…

Paige shivered and Walter looked up at her face as her eyelids fluttered.

“Hey, Paige…can you hear me? Don’t open your eyes just yet…”, he asked, brushing a damp hand over her forehead and then using her washcloth to gently wipe the sooty smudges and extinguisher foam from her face and neck, “There…”

She cleared her throat faintly and then her eyes opened the tiniest bit.

“Walter?”, came her raspy whisper and then her eyelids flew open and she jerked abruptly, but Walter caught her by the shoulders, the force of her pushing against his raw hands making him grit his teeth in pain.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Easy there…”

“Walter?”, she whimpered, her voice barely functioning, her eyes wide and frightened.

The sight made Walter’s heart ache.

“Hey… you’re fine…I’ve got you, you’re fine…everything’s going to be okay…”, he murmured until she relaxed back onto the towel.

“Water.”, she whispered.

“Okay…I’ll get you some water…no problem…”

He stood and went into the main room where the mini fridge was and got out a couple bottles of water and the travel tube of aloe gel that Paige had placed in there the day before. He also got her fluffy bathrobe and a pair of slippers out of her wardrobe for when she was done in the bath.

Paige was rubbing shaking hands over her sooty skin and the dirt was coming off in dark clouds, the water quickly becoming gray and murky.

“Here, let’s get the rest of that stuff off of you and then change the water, okay?”, Walter said as he opened one of the bottles and gave it to her and she nodded after a few sips.

“I can take care of getting the dirt out of my hair…”, she murmured, sounding more like herself with every passing moment.

“Okay then…”

Walter watched carefully as Paige completely submerged her head and rubbed at her scalp vigorously before surfacing again and draining the tub.

“So, uh, Paige…the baby bird is alive now…it flew off when you, uh, well…”, Walter said and gestured vaguely.

“When I went up in flames?”, Paige supplied, stopping the drain after rinsing the tub out and then refilling it.

“Yeah…”, Walter replied, “Do you want me to tell the rest of the coven that you’re okay and that you actually are gifted? We were supposed to go downstairs so you could show off your markings, but well, this happened…”

“Have they come looking for us yet?”, Paige asked.

“Well, no…”

“Then I guess we can take our time, at least for a little while longer.”, she replied, humming as Walter began to shampoo her hair, ignoring the pain in his hands.

“Are you feeling okay?”, Walter asked, unsure of what to expect from her.

“I feel somewhat fatigued, but I’m sure I’ll be alright.”, Paige said, “I’m not burned at all, but I do feel a little different, like I’m humming inside…it’s weird, but not bad…”

“Maybe there’s some residual energy lingering.”

“Or it could be because you’re touching me…you said you were gifted and that electricity might be part of it, so maybe it’s you.”

Walter withdrew his hands from her damp hair immediately. He had been so occupied with Paige and her burgeoning gifts and Megan’s prophetic episode that he had almost forgotten his own gifts.

“Can you finish bathing on your own? I-I don’t want to hurt you accidentally…electricity and water don’t mix…”, Walter muttered and Paige frowned before turning in the tub to look at him and taking one of his hands before he could pull away, not knowing that she had just caused him quite a bit of pain.

“Walter, you won’t hurt me…”

“Not intentionally, at least.”, he muttered, tugging slightly on her grasp, which only caused her to strengthen her hold. She smirked internally at his futile attempt at freeing himself, but she had a point to prove and, until she did, she would hold his hand.

Paige nodded.

“This is true, but you’re forgetting that this concern works both ways.”, she replied, “wasn’t it you who said that fire is very dangerous to vampires because of their venom?”

“Yes.”

“Now I remember bursting into flames, and I remember you standing there with the extinguisher and then I blacked out…you had to have picked me up and put me in the tub because I didn’t get here on my own…”

“I did and I don’t know what conclusion you want me to draw from this…”, he muttered.

Walter looked a little uncomfortable and tears began to prick at the corners of his vision from the pain of her gipping his hand too tight.

“Paige…let go…”

“I won’t, not until you understand…”, she replied, still unaware that Walter’s hands were burnt.

Just then, Paige heard the slightest high pitched noise and it sounded like pain to her (she didn’t even know that pain had a sound until now) and she glanced down at Walter’s hands and gasped, loosening her hold on him, careful of his raw skin.

“Oh my God, Walter! Your hands and forearms…they’re burnt…”, she said, looking up at him, her eyes wide and fearful, “Did I do this to you?”, she asked.

“When I picked you up, you were still really hot and I burned myself on your skin…”, Walter replied quietly, looking at his feet, “They feel a little better now that my venom is going to work on them…but I’m still a danger to you…”, he added, stepping out of her reach.

Paige nodded and after a few beats of silence, she shifted back into the tub and drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them to herself before speaking.

“The point I’m trying to make is that you didn’t know if I would reignite, and if I had, that might have been disastrous for you. I don’t know how hot I was burning, but I know that fire is one of those things that can kill us…”, Paige sighed and tilted her head to look at her mate, “But you went and picked me up anyway…We’re both a danger to each other, that’s just how it is now, but fear will only drive us apart and I don’t want that to happen…I love you too much to let you go because of fear, and as selfish as that sounds, it’s the truth…”

Walter knelt down by the side of the tub after listening to her speak.

“You’re right…I don’t think electricity will kill a vampire, but I know from working on the wiring in the garage that it hurts to get shocked.”, Walter replied, smiling a little as a sizeable accumulation of shampoo foam on the side of Paige’s head slid down and into the water.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”, she said and leaned towards Walter to kiss him just as someone knocked on the door to their suite.

Walter huffed in frustration and Paige pecked him on the lips.

“I’ll go see what they want.”, Walter whispered, stealing another kiss as he rose and worked some aloe gel into his hands and forearms, exhaling through his nose as the cool gel soothed his burns.

“Okay, I’ll finish up here…”, Paige replied.

Walter closed the bathroom door behind himself and opened one of the doors to find Cabe standing there.

“Oh, it’s you.”, Walter said, relaxing a little at the sight of his mentor.

“Yeah,”, the older halfling replied, “May I come in or are you and Paige, uh, in the middle of something?”

“No, no, you’re fine…Paige is occupied…”, Walter said and showed Cabe into the room.

Cabe turned around a couple times and let out a low whistle.

“You kids really lucked out on your room…got some real fancy digs this time around…”, he murmured.

“What’s up?”, Walter asked, sitting down on the loveseat and gesturing for Cabe to sit in one of the armchairs.

“Well, ever since the two of you disappeared at breakfast, we decided to let you have your space, you know, new mates and all, they like to, uh, you know, have their space…anyway, the rest of us were wondering if you and Paige talked at all about her being the marked one.”

“Yeah, we did, actually.”

“And?”, Cabe prompted, leaning forward in his armchair.

“And what?”, Walter asked.

“Well, what happened when you talked to her?”, Cabe asked.

“Well, I had a theory about her and how she was connected to Megan’s prophecy, and she went to refute it.”

“Hey Cabe… uh, long story short,”, Paige interjected, entering the room in her bathrobe before rummaging through her wardrobe and disappearing behind her changing screen, “A baby bird flew into our balcony windows and died, I cried on it, I got mad at Walter and burst into a column of fire, and the baby bird got up and flew away, now I have these tattoo things on me and I have no idea where they came from or why I have them but I passed out when Walter used the fire extinguisher on me and burned his hands and arms carrying me into the room. I had to take a bath…now I’m fatigued but I’m pretty sure I am the marked one and I am, as Walter insisted, the phoenix.”

Cabe sat there, utterly surprised and astonished that Paige, the mild-mannered motherly normal that Walter had fallen in love with, was now the living embodiment of an ancient, powerful, and elemental force of nature that was able to defy death itself.

He couldn’t see it happening, but Paige had trusted them before and had done what most would find to be unthinkable and in her bravery, she had become an irreplaceable part of the coven, so perhaps it wouldn’t be too far off for her to have this gift.

“Wow, uh, congratulations, kid.”, was all Cabe could say, “I thought to myself yesterday that your eyes looked a little like embers, but every vampire is different, so I didn’t think too much of it.”

Paige walked out from behind the screen in a new outfit with a lower neckline that showed off her markings and sat down next to Walter on the loveseat.

Cabe stared at the markings for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude with my staring, but those are really intricate patterns and, having a few tattoos of my own, I’m admiring their designs.”, Cabe spoke up.

Paige shook her head.

“No, no, you’re fine. I wore this top so everyone could see them…”

There was a brief silence and Walter shifted awkwardly.

“Oh, I don’t suppose Walter’s told you the news?”, Paige spoke up.

“There’s more news?”, Cabe asked, raising his eyebrows at the pair.

In the back of his mind, he was hoping that they had decided to make their bond official by getting married, but he wasn’t about to say a word.

He was old enough to see that Walter and Paige were simply meant for one another and he was realistic enough not to be disillusioned into thinking that simply because they were mates and Ralph was calling Walter ‘Dad’ that it meant that he was ready to ask Paige to marry him. He was also old enough to know that Paige wasn’t pregnant and that she and Walter had never slept with each other before yesterday, otherwise Walter would have been a little less high strung than he had been in the past few days (he was also sure that Paige, having been a teen mother, would insist on protection).

“Well, I’m gifted too.”, Walter answered.

Cabe grinned.

“That’s fantastic, son, what can you do?”, he asked.

“Well, I can control technology with my mind. I don’t know for sure if I can or not, but I’m fairly certain that the power applies to electricity as well…”, Walter replied.

Cabe was happy for him, but then he thought about the company and his mood changed, causing him to frown a little.

“What?”, Walter asked, surprised by the older halfling’s reaction to his news, “I-I thought my being gifted would be a good thing…”

“Good for you, but I was thinking about Scorpion. This gift of yours could practically eliminate the need for the rest of the team.”

“Nonsense.”, Paige said, an air of defensiveness in her voice, “Walter alone can’t do what we all do as a team. He can’t interact with people the way I can, can’t protect us like you can, can’t read people and treat people like Toby can, can’t build incredible machines like Happy can, and he can’t calculate in his head the way Sylvester can. Walter will only be able to find the problems quicker.”

Cabe nodded.

“I understand…what if you come across a computer with a virus, could you get infected too? Could it affect your mind?”, Cabe asked, worried that someone like Collins would use Walter’s link with technology to control him or worse, use it to get to and kill every one of them, including Walter.

“I don’t think so, my mind, while being linked to technology, cannot be infiltrated by it. You can’t hack into someone’s brain like you can a computer, and I know you’re thinking, _“What if Collins uses this against you?”_ , Collins doesn’t know about my gift…nobody aside from you, Paige, and I know, not even Ralph, not even my sister, unless she’s made a prophecy about that too.”

Cabe shook his head.

“Megan’s actually been pretty silent since you and Paige came up here. I think the whole prophetic vision stuff freaked her out.”

Paige nodded in understanding.

“I can relate. I’m still kind of in disbelief that I burst into flame but at the same time I want to practice controlling my gifts. I-I just don’t know how that’ll be possible without burning all my clothes or endangering others…”

Cabe nodded, his lips in a tight line.

“I think that you two need to go and tell Ralph what you just told me about your gifts. He’s worried about you being the marked one. You need to show him what you are able to do, that way you don’t get mad at him and accidentally set the room on fire.”

Paige nodded.

“You’re absolutely right, Walter and I are going to go down now and tell everyone.”

Cabe nodded once more and the three of them rose and left without another word.

On the way down, Walter reached out and held Paige’s hand even though it still stung a little to do so, and he could feel already how much warmer Paige was becoming, even hotter than she had been as a human, and it worried him.

He didn’t want Paige being a danger to herself or the rest of the coven because, even though he knew that his coven would never do something like it to Paige, he had heard stories of other covens who had voted to kill coven members with dangerous gifts or hand them over to the _Vecchio Ordine_ for safety, and those vampires were usually never seen or heard from again, so it was relatively safe to assume that they had been killed or imprisoned for their own sake and for the sake of all around them.

He didn’t want to face the reality of something like that happening to Paige, he’d probably kill anyone who tried to take her away from him.

Walter glanced to his side where Paige walked, her eyes facing forward and glazed over as she was silent and lost in the world of her thoughts.

In that moment, he realized just how drawn he was to her. Her beauty was a gift all on its own, but her mind, personality, and spirit were really what drew him to her. Losing her would be like someone ripping his heart from his chest, he didn’t think he would survive.

As they entered the living room and saw the coven seated in there, chatting aimlessly amongst themselves, Walter glanced outside and realized that it was cloudy and grey and that a storm was brewing.

 _“Perfect.”_ , he thought.

Megan caught sight of them and gasped as she saw Paige’s markings.

“That’s it…that’s what I meant…I-I’ve never seen them before but I just know that those are the markings I was talking about…”, she said, glancing at Paige before sitting back down, a blank look on her face, “Something’s happened to you Paige…”

Ralph looked up at his mother and Walter felt his heart sink at the fear he could see etched onto the boy’s face.

“Mom? What’s going on?”, Ralph asked, his voice wavering slightly as if he were about to cry.

Walter glanced to the side and saw a silent tear slide down Paige’s cheek, almost as if she knew what was expected of her and he felt her sadness and confusion pierce him like a knife through his heart.

This was _The Giving Tree_ gone wrong.

Paige drew herself up to her full height and held her head high as she wiped her eyes, steeling herself. 

“I’m the marked one.”, she said in a clear voice, addressing everyone, “I’m meant to be able to sacrifice everything to ensure the survival of many, and that’s what I plan to do…It’s the greater good theory at work...”

 _“The greater good theory…”_ , Walter thought to himself, guilty that he had ever used those words, _“Does she really think that Ralph losing his mother is for the best? Was that just another personality trait that I rubbed off on her? How could I have been so careless…”_

“I don’t know what this darkness is, but I plan to face it with every ounce of strength and willpower in me and I plan to beat it. I am gifted with the powers of the phoenix. I can turn to fire and not be consumed by it, my tears bring healing powers, and I assume that I have other abilities that haven’t manifested themselves yet.”, Paige continued, unknowingly silencing Walter’s musings.

“How do you feel about this?”, Toby asked, concerned for his friend.

“I- Honestly, I feel pretty terrified. I mean, one minute I was upset and in denial and the next minute I was on fire…I don’t know what triggers it other than very strong emotions, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find a way to control this before I hurt anyone.”, Paige glanced to Walter’s hands and back at the coven, “It’s odd to think of myself this way and it feels like I should be someone else, like I’m not supposed to be myself…”

“That depersonalized, almost out of body feeling is a common symptom of anxiety.”, Toby replied and Sylvester nodded in agreement, “Anything else?” 

“I’m also confused, like I don’t know where to go from here.”, Paige replied, “Maybe we should ask someone with direct ties to the _Vecchio Ordine_ for advice.”, and everyone began to mutter amongst themselves at her words as Ralph approached his mother hesitantly before embracing her.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, in case they want to lock you up for your safety.”, Megan said to Paige, who nodded.

“You heard her, nobody lets it slip about Paige’s gift until we know she’ll be safe, agreed?”, Cabe said in his best no-bullshit tone.

“Agreed.”, came the replies of everyone present.

Walter murmured the word, but just sat there feeling numb instead.

Everything was happening so quickly.

First with Drew, then Collins, now all of this with the gifts…He wasn’t in control of the situation or even his own gifts, and it scared him more than it usually did.  

Just then, there was a knock at the front doors, causing the coven to fall silent.

“My markings…”, Paige whispered.

“We need to cover those…”, Maria said.

Kim got up and took off the black scarf she was wearing.

“Here, this should cover them up.”, she said, handing the accessory to Paige, who thanked her before arranging it around her neck, obscuring her markings.    

 “Remember. Not a word about Paige or you’ll have me and the rest of the coven to deal with.”, Happy growled.

“I don’t think it’s best to make threats, but I’m with you.”, Toby said and then Maria nodded for Bruno to get the door as the knocking became incessant, “Not a word…”, she murmured to her mate, who nodded before going to the door.

Shortly after that, Hazel, Oliver, Alicia and Robert Guthridge entered the room behind Bruno, serious expressions on their faces.

“Well, this is a welcome surprise...”, Maria said in a lighter tone than what Walter would have expected from her, especially given the circumstances, “Please sit down…”

As the Guthridge coven sat down, Paige shifted in her spot on the sofa.

This was a family with elders in the _Vecchio Ordine_ , with gifted vampires, and the head of the villa’s enforcement division.

These were the last people she wanted to see right now because they had the most potential to ruin everything they had here.

“Santana reported what happened at breakfast to us about Megan’s prophecy.”, Oliver replied and everyone glared at Santana who raised his hands in surrender, “We thought it would be best to come and see for ourselves what was happening…”

“What did he tell you?”, Kim asked.

“He told us that Megan was an oracle and he told me what her prophecy was…I’m not sure what he meant about the marked one though or who he meant, we reported that to my superiors and they haven’t returned my call yet, so it’s probably not urgent…”, Oliver replied.

“Where’s Victoria?”, Megan asked, drawing the conversation away from the marked one and placing the group’s focus on Hazel as she pretended to look around for Hazel’s wife, whom she had become friends with on the flight over.

“She’s at home with the boys… Penelope is resting so we didn’t think it would be right to leave them in her care…”, Hazel replied, “I’ll tell her you said hi when I get home.

“Thanks.”, Megan nodded with a smile that Walter knew was fake, but could easily fool anyone who didn’t know his sister, “Well, I hope Penelope feels better soon.”

There were a few beats of silence and Robert cleared his throat.

“I suppose there’s no sense in beating around the bush here…Let’s talk about Megan now…How did you come to get your gifts?”

Megan related her entire story of how she got her gifts, how Collins had his plans, but left out anything having to do with Elisabetta Moretti or the connections that they had made between her, Collins, and Drew, not wanting any of that to be reported to the Moretti family.

“So that’s everything, I guess.”, Megan lied smoothly.

The Guthridge coven looked at each other and then back at everyone else.

“What’s going to happen to Megan?”, Sylvester asked, holding his mate’s hand.

Nobody, not even the vampires associated with the _Vecchio Ordine_ , who knew of Paige’s gifts said a word to the Guthridge coven about them, per their agreement.  

“We don’t know yet. I’ve sent for Diana Mbaekwe, she’s only nineteen, but because of her abilities, she’s one of the best gifted trainers in the _Vecchio Ordine_.”, Hazel stated.

“Nineteen?”, Toby asked incredulously, “I’ve met some prodigies in my life, but that’s just astounding…”

Oliver nodded.

 “Diana and her family are from a rural, tribal community in Nigeria. Her parents were hunted down and murdered when she was a baby because vampires are still persecuted in many African countries often due to tribal superstition.”, he explained sadly, “Unfortunately it happens quite often, even in places where the lifestyle is quite modern and the ideas are diverse... our most recent murders were carried out by a group of hunters in Brisbane that beheaded an entire coven…no survivors, not even the fledglings…”

“God rest their souls…”, Santana murmured, fiddling with the rosary he wore around his neck.

“That’s horrible!”, Sylvester exclaimed and the coven nodded in agreement as Paige felt bile rising in her throat at the thought of the evil in the world. 

“Thank goodness you’re all safe here.”, Maria said and looked away from the Guthridge coven before rolling her eyes and Bruno made a small dissenting noise under his breath.

“Something wrong there, Bruno?”, Alicia asked.

“Just clearing my throat.”, he lied.

“Anyway, Diana was fortunate enough that her aunt and uncle were here in Italy on business at the time of the murders and that the people who killed her parents spared her life. Her aunt and uncle are gifted vampires in the order and they adopted her. She grew up here in Italy. Her vampire tendencies were apparent when she was very young, even for an early bloomer such as Ralph, and then her gifts manifested gradually from there, so I took her on as an apprentice of mine until her gifts were fully developed and she decided to switch orders. She’s the only one of her kind that we know of who has this unique gift, and her gift is actually determining your gifts.”, Oliver replied, “She doesn’t really live too far away, so she should be arriving here at any time...I just hope she makes it before the rain starts, after all, she’s only riding that little motorbike of hers...”   

“How does she determine our gifts?”, Walter asked, finding his voice again.

Oliver and Hazel looked surprised, as did everyone else in the room, save for Paige and Cabe.

“What do you mean by ‘our gifts’? Unless…you’re gifted too, aren’t you, Walter?”, Megan asked.

Walter nodded in response.

“What can you do?”, Ralph asked, clearly excited to have both his parents being gifted, a reaction that wasn’t an act.

“I’m a technopath, I can control computers and electricity with my mind…I’m still getting used to it…but I like it.”, Walter said, looking down at the space between Paige and himself where Ralph sat, his mood lifting as he saw the smile on Ralph’s face.

Oliver cleared his throat and continued speaking.

“Uh, to answer your question, Walter, Diana can look at anyone and see their gifts at their fullest potential, even normals who aren’t changed and don’t know that we, or our gifts, exist, and then she’ll devise a plan or a strategy to get you to that point. She plays a crucial role in the changing ceremonies. She’ll meet with every applicant that will hopefully be changed in the ceremonies and see whether or not they’ll be gifted and determine whether or not their gift is too dangerous to grant them the permission to change...In cases like that, Diana presents her case to the elders in the gifted order, sometimes meeting with Alfonso and Regina Moretti themselves…”

“I assume that someone with potentially dangerous powers could be angry that they were denied the chance to be changed…”, Paige said.

“Well,”, Alicia began as she waved her hand, the plant life in the room perking up at her actions, “Those people are usually brought up with the _Vecchio Ordine_ or in vampire families and covens, so they usually take us at our word when we turn down someone because their gifts could be dangerous…of course, we have the ones that do not comply and they have to be taken care of by the enforcers…”

“And the dangerous normals who were inadvertently changed…what happens to them? What happens if they come here for protection as a part of a coven? Diana can’t always be there to regulate people like that…”, Paige asked.

Walter reached behind Ralph and held Paige’s hand, the sting from his burns practically gone now. Paige glanced at her mate and silent words passed between them.

Paige was clearly worried that her powers were going to be discovered by Diana and then get her taken away from her mate, her son, and the coven that had become her family in the months since she had joined them. Walter would have done anything to alleviate some of her worries, but they were trapped.

All they could do was remain quiet and enjoy this time they had until Diana showed up and the truth came out.

Paige scooted closer to Walter and Ralph. She felt Walter grip her hand tighter and knew he must be feeling that in his burns but she knew that he probably didn’t care as long as he could hold her hand. Ralph leaned against his mother, his small hand reaching over to Paige’s free hand and holding it tightly.

Ralph knew the implications of his mother’s gifts and he was scared to lose her too. 

Robert exhaled shakily.

“It doesn’t often turn out well for them…”, he replied, his crystal blue eyes dissolving into a very pale red, making the faint lines on his face seem more defined, “If they go willingly, they will be taken to another location in Europe that is known to only a select few vampires where the _Vecchio Ordine_ has a facility dedicated to rehabilitating and using intensive therapies to practically make vampires forget they are gifted or they’ll train them to use their powers in certain ways only and then they’ll come to work for the _Vecchio Ordine_ , albeit with several enforcers around them at all hours to make sure that they do not use their gifts. ”

“That sounds like hell, always having people in your space, making sure you don’t act out…I’d hate that…”, Happy muttered.

“Well, at least what we heard about the therapy isn’t too terrible…”, Toby supplied with a shrug, “It’s good that these individuals are getting the help that they need, even if it means they need to forget.”

Robert shook his head.

“These therapies are very invasive and in some cases, too many memories are removed inadvertently for there to be any progress except forcing the person to become a recluse or completely insane…”, he replied, “But our healers do try their best…”

“That’s totally inhumane and it violates the Hippocratic Oath!”, Toby said in disgust.

Robert shrugged.

“It is what it is.”

“What if they need to be arrested and don’t come willingly?”, Happy asked.

“If we have to make an arrest for a gifted vampire or halfling, we send out a bunch of very powerful gifted vampires and enforcers and they make an arrest and then a panel of judges makes a decision after the evidence is compiled…”

“A decision of what?”, Cabe asked, not liking where this conversation was going and worried about what it could mean for Paige, Walter, Ralph, and the rest of Scorpion.

Robert sighed and looked over at Hazel, whose face has become hard and stoic.

“My dear, I think you have more experience in this area…”, he said, gesturing for his daughter to answer Cabe and the rest of the coven as rain began to pelt onto the windows.

Walter looked at the rain and brushed his thumb over the back of Paige’s hand, hoping that Diana would be delayed, just so they could maintain the illusion for a little while longer.

“They, the judges, make a decision about whether the gifted individual can be rehabilitated, trained and their powers used in accordance with strict supervision and adherence to order guidelines, imprisoned for an indefinite amount of time, or if they need to be put down.”, Hazel replied quietly, looking out at the rain.

The looks of horror on their faces and the coven’s shocked silence at her words caused Hazel to shift uncomfortably and cough before leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs, her demeanor changing.

“Look, it’s nothing personal, we just take our orders from our higher ups and we do our jobs...It’s not too different from how your Homeland Security and how Scorpion operates, right?”, she said, waving her hand in a manner that was too passé, like she was comfortable with just brushing off the fact that they were talking about people, _vampires_ , as if their lives had no worth if their gifts couldn’t be tamed, used, or squashed out altogether.

Walter felt anger rising inside of him and Paige sensed it and looked over, wide eyed, and expecting an outburst from him.

What pissed Walter off the most was how Hazel could be so nonchalant about this when she had probably sent gifted individuals that were supposed to be protected by the _Vecchio Ordine_ to their deaths while just “doing her job” and then had the _audacity_ to compare their actions and say that his coven did basically the same thing whenever they got orders from Homeland, which they didn’t, as if that made everything acceptable.   

“You just do your job?!”, he all but yelled, getting to his feet, Ralph jolting away from him in surprise, “What do you mean that they get ‘put down’?”

He felt bile rising in his throat and swallowed it back.

“Yes, Walter, we do our job. We don’t like thinking about it either, but when it happens, they are heavily sedated and comatose. It’s painless, we don’t sense pain or discomfort from them and all the fear vanishes when they lose consciousness.”, Oliver replied calmly, trying in vain to reassure the genius, “It’s the most humane thing to do for people who are too dangerous to be helped.”

“And the ones who fight back?”, he asked, feeling something tingling in his fingertips, like static electricity, “What happens to those who have a will to live?”

“We take them out on the spot and it’s not so humane.”, Oliver replied simply, before seeing the anger in Walter’s eyes and glancing at Happy, whom Toby was whispering to, no doubt keeping her from using her gift on him.

For the first time since he had met their coven, Oliver felt fearful and began explaining himself.  

Ralph pulled back from his mother as he sensed her anger and knew that she would stand up with Walter.

“And there are no appeals?”, Paige asked, her accusatory tone cutting through Oliver’s rush to explain himself and silencing him as she stood next to her mate, Ralph peering out behind his parents as they confronted Oliver, who was now on his feet as well.

Hazel got to her feet and Walter saw the coffee table levitate a few inches off the ground, as if Hazel was about to throw it at them.

“As if your government doesn’t still execute the criminally insane and treat their prisoners unfairly and inhumanely!”, she argued back, “As if your military doesn’t routinely bomb civilian populations on a hunch that there may be terrorists living among them!”

“Don’t use our government’s actions to justify your own!”, Walter yelled, pointing his finger at Hazel, feeling the static growing stronger.

“Enough!”, Alicia said and waved her hands, all the vine-like plants lashing out quickly and grabbing Walter, Paige, Hazel, and Oliver around their wrists, startling everyone, “I’ll have no more of this!”

“Mother…release us and we’ll all sit back down…”, Oliver said.

Alicia looked at them and nodded.

“Very well…”, she murmured, waving her hands again as the plants gently released them and returned to their normal states, the vines shrinking back into their pots.

The four looked at each other but did not sit.

“I assure you, the judges are thorough in their decisions…”, Robert said, “Now let’s all just calm down…We have nothing to gain and everything to lose if we’re angry with each other like this and I highly doubt Maria will take kindly to you destroying the living room…”

“We have a field out back, so have some respect and propriety and take it outside if you want to fight.”, Maria said calmly, the look in her eyes daring anyone to start a fight in her house, “Am I understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”, Oliver murmured and he and Hazel sat back down. 

Paige and Walter mirrored their actions, only this time, Ralph sat on the end of the sofa and Paige sat in the middle, so that she could be close to Walter.

Walter felt the tingling in his hands disappear and felt Paige’s body temperature falling.

He could tell that his coven was very opposed to the moral and ethical codes that the _Vecchio Ordine_ was ignoring when it came to the treatment of gifted individuals.

Before Walter could speak again, there was another knock at the door.

“Oh, that’s Diana…”, Hazel said and quickly left the room to get the door.

Walter reached out with his mind to Hazel’s phone and used her microphone to listen to anything she said to Diana, hoping to get any information he could from their conversation.

Unfortunately, they spoke to each other in Italian and Walter couldn’t understand more than a few words here and there, so he withdrew and waited until Diana entered the room.

They heard the footsteps echoing in the hall and Paige held Ralph to her as Walter gave her hand a squeeze.

These would be the final seconds of Paige’s gift being unknown and Walter felt like he was teetering on the edge, like Diana would walk through that door and everything would fall apart. He had hated people he’d never met before, but this was new, this threatened everything close to him.

Paige’s mind was blank. She was hoping that Diana couldn’t pick up anything from her if she cleared her mind, but something told her that that wasn’t how her power worked. Then Paige’s mind flooded with happy memories, and she packed them all up in a safe so that she could hopefully guard them in case they tried to take her memories and make her forget.

Hazel returned with a teenage girl who was soaking wet, but still smiled, baring her fangs.

“Sorry about the mess in the hall, I’ll clean it up straight away….”, she said, her accent a blend of Italian and Nigerian, no doubt from her aunt and uncle’s influences.

Diana was short and petite, and she had the muscular build of a gymnast. Her red eyes were an almost candy apple red, beautifully offsetting her dark skin tone. Her hair was tied up in a colorful gele and she looked around the room, still smiling.

“It’s always a pleasure to meet new people from far-away places…Hazel tells me you are from Los Angeles...”, Diana said, her eyes moving over Cabe, Happy, and Toby, crossing them, like she was analyzing their gifts as she spoke.

Paige cast her eyes down to where she held Walter’s hand and Ralph pressed closer to her side as Diana’s eyes fell on her.

Diana made a small noise in the back of her throat and stopped talking, causing Paige to look up at her.

Diana was surprised and she held Paige’s gaze for a moment before glancing at Ralph and seeing how he clung to his mother before looking at Walter and standing in silence, unsure of what to do.

“Diana?”, Oliver asked, breaking the silence, “What do you think…can you help them?”

Diana cleared her throat and smiled again.

“Well, put it this way, it appears as though I have my work cut out for me…”   

“Who’s going first?”, Hazel asked.

“Well, I’d like to know everyone’s names first, that way we all get to know each other…”, Diana said and the coven introduced themselves.

“Okay then…”, Diana said, “I won’t need Cabe, you’re not gifted, but you have a lot of patience, and I greatly admire that, and I can’t work much with Ralph until he gets a little more developed…”

Ralph looked like Christmas came early.

“You mean I’m gifted?!”, he asked excitedly.

Diana nodded.

“You’re going to help a lot of people with your gifts because they stem from your mother and father’s elemental gifts…I wouldn’t be surprised at all if markings showed up on you in a few years…”, she replied.

Paige’s heart skipped a beat as the cat was well and truly out of the bag now.

Walter was concerned too, especially with the way the Guthridge coven was looking at each other and then at Paige.

“You’re the marked one?”, Hazel asked, “Megan prophesized about you?”

Paige nodded.

“They’re calling me ‘the Phoenix’ now…”, Paige murmured.

“No wonder you were so worried about highly gifted people…you didn’t want to be removed from your family and friends…”, Oliver said, looking to Diana, “Di, you have to reassure her that she’ll be fine with her coven and that nothing is going to happen to her…”

Diana nodded and crossed the room, holding out her hands to Paige, who took them.

“Paige, listen to me. Your gifts are very powerful. I can see them now. They have a lot of potential for good and a lot of potential for evil. You will be able to control fire and bursting into flames is the first part of that, so we’ll get you some clothes that are fireproof, or at least underwear that way if it happens when you least expect it, you’ll still be covered. You’ll be able to control the fire thing though, and a lot sooner than you’d think…The Phoenix is actually a pretty good nickname for you because your tears will have healing powers, your song will have the ability to control people’s emotions, at your strongest, you will be able to snap your fingers and teleport around the world in a burst of fire. You can do a lot of good…The only way we’d ever take you away is if you broke the law, and you’d never do that because you’re too much of a good person, we won’t even arrest you for arson because, in good time and with practice, your fire will stay contained to within you, meaning you won’t burst into flames all the time.”, Diana said.

Paige blinked away happy tears and sighed in relief.

“Thank you… I thought for sure that I’d be taken away…”, Paige choked out.

“Look, you have had a beautiful son with a wonderful man here and I wouldn’t dare take that away from you.”, she added, gesturing to Ralph and Walter.

Paige glanced at Walter and sort of laughed through her tears as Walter shook his head and smiled, so relieved that his mate was safe.

 “Wait, Walter isn’t my biological father.”, Ralph stated, “Drew is.”

Diana looked confused.

“I thought Walter was your father…”, she said, “No offense, but you definitely seem to take after each other…Who is Drew?”

“None taken. I’m more of an adoptive parent…”, Walter clarified, “I’m not a legal guardian…but I love Ralph as I would my own child.”, he said, patting Ralph on the shoulder.

“Drew is my biological father…he doesn’t really want to have anything to do with me, so it’s just my Mom and Walter, who I call my Dad.”, Ralph replied, “Mom was changed yesterday. She and Dad are mates now.”, he said, gesturing between Paige and Walter, who both blushed as the rest of the adults in the room cleared their throats.

“Well, that’s awkward…”, Kim muttered and Santana nodded in agreement.

“Wow. So, Paige, I, uh, I really hate to pry, but just to be clear, you were changed yesterday and I assume you mated shortly after that? And Ralph is your biological son with a man named Drew?”, Diana asked, clearly awestruck.  

Paige nodded.

“This is incredible because your gifts and Ralph’s go hand in hand with Walter’s. It’s like you were all brought together through convergences by Paige…”, she said and pulled out her notepad to record her findings, “Paige, you were an exceptional normal to have given birth and unknowingly had that birthright convergence with Ralph. You didn’t know it then, but moments after Ralph was born, you were setting him up to have a gift that was so in line with your then-dormant gifts, it was almost like you should have been born a vampire yourself…”

“Diana, are you sure?”, Alicia asked and Diana waved her hand as if to say she wasn’t done yet.

“So then you became a vampire and had that mated convergence with Walter, thus giving him a gift that is just as valuable as yours is…I really have never seen anything like it…especially between mates…Wow that must have been quite the euphoric response…”, Diana mused aloud before shaking her head, “Wow, I apologize, I really don’t have a filter sometimes…”

“No, you’re fine…”, Paige said.   

“Speaking of gifts…uh what about mine?”, Walter asked, trying to draw the conversation away from the fact that he and Paige were having sex.

Diana looked at Walter.

“Elemental and powerful…Your gifts respond to tech because of how your mind works, but it’s really much more basic than that. In fact, I bet if you went outside right now, you’d be able to turn this rain into a lightning storm. Maybe not a powerful one, but there’d be action. You seem to be able to control this pretty well already, so that’s fortunate…At your strongest, I wouldn’t put it past you to be able to power the city of Dubai or Tokyo for a few hours. You’d feel strained, but you’d manage. As for the technology, you’ll be carrying the world’s first supercomputer/brain crossover around with you in a few years, so you’ll need to find a way to use it without getting dragged in and lost in your own mind.”

Walter gulped.

“Hey, you okay boss?”, Toby asked.

“That’s a lot for me to take in…”, Walter replied, exhaling.

“Don’t worry, it’ll all get figured out in time…you’ll see.”, Diana said.

“Okay, so what about the rest of us?”, Toby asked.

“Right, yeah, moving on…”, Diana said and put her notepad away before taking her wet jacket off and hanging it on an empty wall sconce which made Maria cringe slightly before she sat down, “Uh, Happy, we’ll have to find a way for you to practice honing your gifts on something that can register pain, because all you do is make those nerve impulses active, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt in the process…You’ve barely scratched the surface with your gifts. Eventually, you’ll be able to transfer pain onto other people-”

“Ha! I knew you’d be able to do that!”, Toby said, cutting off Diana, and Happy glanced at him, silencing him immediately. “Sorry.”, he mumbled.

“Uh yeah, as I was saying, when you’re at your strongest, you should be able to affect a lot of people at once and make your power give and take simultaneously.”

Happy nodded.

“That sounds cool…I bet I can make a dummy with sensors in its skin that’ll register my impulses or make a whole bunch of sensors and rig them to stakes or drones so I can test my distance.”, Happy replied.

“I could create a newer version of the software for the mannequins that they use in hospital training, and you could work from those…”, Sylvester added.

Soon, the geniuses were talking about ideas and Diana had to silence them.

“Are you guys all geniuses or something?”, she asked, “Because that was the most intense brainstorming session I’ve ever seen…”

“You didn’t tell her?”, Cabe asked Oliver. 

Oliver turned to Diana.

“Di, they’re all geniuses, even Ralph…the only ones who aren’t are Paige, Megan, and Cabe…sorry I didn’t let you know sooner…” 

“No, it’s fine, I’m just surprised, that’s all…”, she said, “Uh, moving on…Toby…your gifts are faint, but they’re there… we can get you into some poker games or gambling scenarios and you can read people there- “

“That’s not a good idea.”, “I can’t do that.”, Happy and Toby blurted out simultaneously before Diana could finish.

“I’m a recovering gambling addict…”, Toby replied, “I’m still struggling with sobriety at times, but I’m getting better…”

Diana nodded.

“Okay, well, we can always place you in a public square and you can tell us what people are thinking…remember, you’re not strong enough to be a mind reader, but you can definitely read people like a book…I wish you luck in your recovery and I’m sorry I brought it up.”, she replied.

“Thanks and it’s fine, you didn’t know.”, Toby said.

“Okay, Megan. You’ve got this oracle gift. You can tell the future, but you’re not yourself when you do it…You’ll be able to turn it on and off in time, but you’re not there yet, and we have no way to test this, so there’s not much I can do for you unless you can tell me if you sensed anything about your prophecy earlier.”

“Well, first off, my prophecy was about Paige, so I guess she sort of stood out to me this morning more than anyone else did…like she was vivid and everyone else was kind of dulled to me…”, Megan replied.   

“That’s good!”, Diana exclaimed, “You know what the signs are. All we have to do is find a way to inhibit your gift in a such a way so that it comes out in a way that doesn’t have you levitating or glowing, because if you’re around normals and do that, you’ll probably go viral and then you’ll have hunters from all around the world trying to track you down with the rest of Scorpion…”

Megan nodded.

“I’ll try to stay out of public places then, which sucks because I’ve been cooped up in a hospital all my life and now, even as a vampire, I can’t go out and enjoy life because of hunters…”, she muttered.

“Hone your gift and you’ll be fine, you’ve got hundreds of years to live…it’ll only take a few years to get into the habit of controlling this.”, Diana said.

“Okay, Sylvester.”

“I have gifts?”, he asked, “This makes me anxious…”, he murmured, wringing his hands and causing Megan to place one of her hands over his, which he took and held.

“You’ll be fine…your gifts are going to come when the time is right…not as soon as you would think, but soon enough…”, Diana explained.

“What are they?”, Sylvester asked after taking a deep breath.

“I don’t want to make you any more nervous than you might already be, but your gifts are meant to guard other people. You’re like Victoria, only your gift works both defensively and offensively. Have you ever heard the saying ‘I am rubber and you are glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you’?”

Sylvester nodded.

“Well, just think of yourself as rubber. You will defend other people and anyone who attacks you or those you protect; you will be able to throw their attack right back at them…”

Sylvester sighed.

“That’s okay, but I really don’t want to hurt anyone…”, he replied.

“When you are strong enough, you’ll be able to choose to counter attack or keep defending, but in the beginning you’re going to hurt the enemy…I hope you can learn to live with that…”, Diana stated.

“I may not like it, but I’ll have to live with it in order to improve…”, he replied.

“That’s the spirit.”, Megan murmured, making Sylvester smile a little.

“So,”, Diana said, standing again, “Now that we’ve gotten beyond all of this, we can begin training immediately for some of you and start planning the training for others. By Monday, I will have a schedule drawn up for all of you. Any questions?”

“I have one. Could you please tell me what my gift is?”, Ralph asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell just yet. It’s kind of hard for me to see what it will be now because you still have so many changes to undergo. All I can tell you is that it’s positive, strong, and elemental, just like your mother’s. It’s always harder for me to see the gifts of a fledgling than anyone else’s, but you’ll know in time.”, Diana replied, and when she saw Ralph’s disappointment, she quickly added, “But, you know what you can do to help?”

“What?”

“I’ll need some help with everyone else’s training and, now that I know you’re a genius too, you’ll be a huge help to me when it comes to data collection and organization, that is, if you don’t mind taking notes and keeping up with the statistics to chart everyone’s progress…”, she trailed off before glancing at Ralph who was beaming at her.

“I’d love to!”, he replied excitedly, “I’m really good with numbers, so you won’t be disappointed, I promise.” 

“I’ll hold you to your word, but I have a feeling you’ll do very well.”, Diana replied and Ralph nodded.

Diana looked around and then she looked outside.

“Well, it’s still raining…Walter, how about you try to turn this into a lightning storm? We’ll go out back and you’ll stand alone in the field and try to channel the electricity from the earth into the clouds using yourself as a conductor.”, Diana said and nodded her head towards the doors at the back of the villa.

Walter looked at Paige and at the rest of his coven, who gave him encouraging looks and nodding before he rose from the sofa and followed Diana out onto the covered back porch where they had eaten dinner the night before.

Everyone followed them to the doors but Walter turned to them before they could cross the threshold.

“I want all of you to stay inside and watch from the windows, you’ll be safer in here than on the porch.”, he said and Paige stopped in her tracks.

She was shocked by the seriousness in his tone and the concern in his eyes.

It wasn’t a question and Paige sighed before smiling in a bittersweet way.

Walter walked back inside and gave Paige his cell phone and the contents of his pockets before embracing her. She whispered, “You’ll do fine.”, into his ear before kissing him on the cheek and nudging him towards the doors.

“Go get ‘em, little brother.”, Megan said amid the other confident comments and well-wishing from everyone else.

“Good luck, dad.”, Ralph said.

“Thanks, buddy.”

Walter inhaled deeply and walked out onto the porch, removing his favorite purple shirt and his belt in the process, not wanting to ruin them by accident.

“Okay, you might want to take off your shoes too, because rubber soles don’t conduct well…we’ll work on that though by using rubber mats in later practices…hopefully, by then, you won’t be using your whole body, just your hands.”, Diana said and he pulled off his shoes and socks, leaving himself in his pants and undershirt.

“What do you want me to do?”, he asked, looking out at the pouring rain apprehensively, reminded for a split second of how it would rain back in Ireland.

“Walk out into the middle of the field, raise your arms and do whatever feels right. I want you to feel the energy of the earth beneath your feet and then channel that energy up through your body and force it into the clouds. It may take you some time, but I’m not letting you back up here until you at least make one bolt of lightning, okay?”

Walter nodded.

Diana didn’t play games and Walter could tell why she had been given this training position at such a young age; she would push a person until they met their goal, which is good for some people, but not for everyone.

“Alright, well, get out there, let’s see what you can do.”, she said and Walter stepped into the downpour, his pants and undershirt were soaked in seconds and he shivered as he stepped in mud.  

 _“This is disgusting…I just hope I don’t get struck by lightning before I’m supposed to create it…that’d be pretty embarrassing…”_ , he thought as he trudged through the mud into the middle of the field and pushed his wet hair back from his face.

 _“When this is all over, I’m definitely going to eat some lunch and soak in that bathtub…Maybe if I’m lucky, I can lay down for a little while and Paige can join me…that’d be nice…”_ , he thought, imagining curling up in bed with Paige to waste a rainy afternoon with her and smiling at the mental image it provided.

Once he got to the center of the field, he looked back at the villa and then walked a little farther out from the villa, just to be safe.

“Okay…”, he said out loud to nobody in particular, “I just have to focus…”

He closed his eyes and focused on his feet.

 _“Well, this mud is disgusting, but I’m not feeling anything...”_ , he thought, and then felt the briefest tingles cross his soles.

He honed in on that sensation and worked on trapping it and then forcing that sensation up his legs and through his torso.

He had to retry it several times before he changed his stance into what looked sort of like a lunge, so that the feeling wouldn’t have to move at a ninety-degree angle and he could strengthen and hold it at every joint.   

This seemed to work better, and Walter sighed as he felt the static tingle at his fingertips and saw small arcs of electricity jumping between his fingertips.

 _“Let’s see if I can pass it between my hands…”_ , he thought and it startled him when a bolt jumped from one hand to the other and back.

Walter glanced up at the sky and felt the earth pulsing beneath his feet like some sort of heartbeat and he felt it pass in one long wave from his feet to his hands, and before he knew it, he was raising his hands and hoping that it would work before pushing the energy up and away from himself with a shout.

Meanwhile, at the villa, everyone had been chatting amongst themselves, and even Paige was speaking to Megan while glancing back out at Walter every few minutes. Only Ralph gazed unblinkingly outside at Walter, waiting for him to do something.

“He’s been out there for a while…I’ll bet he’ll want some coffee or tea or something hot to drink and a nice shower when he gets back inside…”, Megan said.

“He’ll probably just want to go back out and do it again in an hour or so…”, Paige replied, “But he could always surprise me.”

“It’s a lucky thing he’s a vampire, otherwise he would have caught a cold by now.”, Sylvester muttered.

Ralph stepped back from the windows silently, sensing that something was about to happen.

“It’s a good thing it’s raining…I’d hate for him to put a burn mark in the lawn.”, Maria said.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, I mean it isn’t like he’s done anything yet.”, Hazel said with a chuckle, and no sooner had the words left her mouth than a blinding flash of light shot from Walter and into the sky, lighting up the entire region and shaking the villa with a huge crash of thunder, causing all of them to jump in surprise.

“He did it!”, Ralph exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly, “He did it, mom, he did it!”

Paige gazed out in awe as she saw the man she loved becoming a force of nature.

She could see him silhouetted by the shifting bolts of lightning that he was producing and she felt a chill roll down her spine and goosebumps rise on her skin as thunder practically roared outside.

She had always feared storms until now.

Paige was able to see the incredible beauty in this raw energy and knowing Walter was responsible made butterflies flutter to life in her stomach.

 _“I did it!”_ , Walter thought, gazing around him before extending his hands and forcing more energy into the sky, thunder booming all around him, lightning dancing and arcing through the clouds, the smell of ozone becoming a new element to his scent that hadn’t been there before.

He laughed and continued making the sky light up, changing the intensity and patterns, and having a good time until he felt his knees growing weak.

He put his arms down and moved his feet from where they had sunken into the mud and then pointed up at the clouds to send one more bolt up, focusing on the pattern and using his power to put Paige’s markings in the sky.

It was messy and weird looking to him, but when Paige saw them and had them burned temporarily into her vision, she felt so overcome with love that she just stood there and grinned, not wanting to blink away the afterimage.

Walter trudged back up to the villa, caked in mud and soaked from the rain, but otherwise very happy.

When he got under the covered porch, Paige ran through the doors and wrapped him in her arms, not caring that he was wet and muddy, just placing her cheek to his and inhaling the ozone.

“Hi…”, he murmured, hugging her back, their bodies fitting together perfectly.

“Walter, I’m so proud of you…”, Paige said and pulled back, placing her hands on either side of his face, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks, “Your gift is so beautiful…”

“Thanks…”, was all he could say, beaming at his mate.

Praise came from all around as the rest of the two covens spilled onto the porch and joined Paige in congratulating Walter.

“Thanks…thank you all…”, he replied, “but now, I’d really like to get dried off.”

“Maria has you covered.”, Hazel said and Maria came forward with couple of towels.

“Just rinse your feet off in the bathroom near the kitchen and don’t walk on the carpets…I must say, that was one of the most impressive storms I’ve ever seen.”, the older vampire said with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Well, boss, looks like Mr. 197 isn’t your nickname anymore…from now on, you’re Thor.”, Toby said, causing Happy to roll her eyes.

Walter looked at him in confusion.

“I don’t believe in Scandinavian mythology…”

Toby shook his head.

“Watch a movie sometime, will you?”

Walter shrugged and walked into the bathroom just as Santana told them that lunch would be out in a few minutes and then telling Walter how he and Kim had watched the whole thing from the kitchen.

“Kim was a little mad that the thunder caused the cake to fall, but she says it was impressive nonetheless.”, he said before letting Walter get cleaned up.

Walter stepped into the relatively small bathroom and closed the door behind himself.

He didn’t bother to lock it because Paige had gone upstairs to get him some fresh clothes and would be back soon. In the meantime, he pulled off his wet clothes and put them in the sink before stepping into the small shower cubicle, closing the door behind himself, and rinsing off.

 _“At least they bothered to put soap in here…”_ , he thought.

He let the hot water rush over himself and sighed as he finally relaxed before finishing up and beginning to dry off with the small towels they had in the closet.

“Walter?”, Paige called, knocking on the bathroom door.

“It’s open.”, he replied, pulling the small towel tightly around his waist, not wanting to accidentally flash anyone.

Paige opened the door and poked her head in the door, her eyes shut tight as she thrust the clothes out towards him along with a plastic shopping bag for his wet clothes.

“Here.”

Walter laughed at her facial expression.

“What’s so funny?”, she asked, her eyes still shut.

“I don’t know why you’re closing your eyes, it’s not like you’ve never seen me naked before.”, he replied and she cracked an eye open.

“Sorry, I guess it’s a habit.”

Walter got an idea and he lowered his voice.

“Is there anyone around out there?”, he asked.

Paige glanced behind herself.

“No. They’re all at lunch, why do you ask?”, she replied coyly.

She knew what she wanted to do, but would Walter take the bait?

Walter grinned and pulled her quickly into the bathroom with him, closing the door behind her.

 _“Guess that’s a yes.”_ , Paige thought as she giggled.

“Because ever since I first laid eyes on you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you…”, he whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

“Walter…”, Paige sighed, “That’s so sweet of you.”

“It’s the truth…”, he replied, nuzzling his cheek against hers before kissing her again.

“What was that kiss for?”, she whispered, her eyes meeting his and seeing how sincere he was.

 “It wasn’t really for anything, I’m just so relieved that they’re not taking you away from me.”

Paige hummed in agreement as she placed a kiss just below his ear.

“I love you, Walter.”, she whispered.

“I love you too…”

They held each other in silence for a long time until his stomach growled in protest, causing Paige to chuckle lightly.

“I suppose we should get to lunch.”, Paige said, raising an eyebrow at him in a good-natured way.

Walter faked an exasperated sigh.

“I suppose.”, he replied, earning a smile from Paige.

She turned to leave and Walter said, “Wait”, as he took her wrist and pulled her back into his arms, kissing her with more passion than before.

Paige responded enthusiastically, her tongue brushing over his parted lips before darting back into her own mouth and when he broke away, Paige’s eyes had grown dark with desire and she grinned slyly, licking her lower lip before biting it. Her eyes were roving over Walter as if she was deciding to jump his bones here or wait.

“Put your clothes on, Walter,”, she murmured, trailing her fingertips down her mate’s chest in a very sensual manner, making Walter shiver in anticipation, “That way I can rip them off of you later.”, she said, her voice dropping into a low purr and she winked at him.

Walter gulped.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll do that…”, he stammered as she left the bathroom, swaying her hips and making him groan.

Once she was gone, he glanced down at his erection and sighed before pulling off the towel and stepping back into the shower stall, this time turning the cold water on full blast and standing under there until he had returned to his normal state.

When he came out a few minutes later, he walked down to the dining room and sat next to Paige, who was tearing into her chicken parmesan.

He ate and carried on conversations with the Guthridge coven and Diana chatted eagerly with Ralph about the data they would be compiling and the methods they’d use while Walter’s mind kept going back to Paige and their time in the bathroom, and part of himself hated the single track mindset he had been operating on recently, but he had enjoyed having that connection with Paige nonetheless because he had never experienced emotion quite as strong or as uninhibited as this before and it was exhilarating, to say the least.

Something inside of him told him that it was okay to feel this way for Paige, the newness of their bond was strengthened through their activities and their struggles and soon they would fall into a pattern. Eventually, those patterns would lead to experiences, and their experiences would lead to growth as bonded mates and (Walter hoped), it would lead to the growth of their family with the addition of children.

Ever since he had become like a father to Ralph, he had had these thoughts about what it would be like to raise children that were biologically his own, not that Ralph meant any less to him because they didn’t share genetics, Walter still loved him as his own child, but it would be interesting to see how he would respond to watching children grow up and know that they were his offspring.

Would they be smart like he was? Would they be as developed in their EQ as Paige was? Would they enjoy the arts and literature or would they prefer science and math? Would they look more like him or would they take after Paige?

Walter realized he had been staring at Paige and that she had begun to stare back, so he blinked out of his daydreams and smiled at his mate. Paige blushed lightly and smiled back and that simple action made butterflies spring to life inside his stomach, even though he knew it was just nerves.

The rest of their day passed smoothly.

The Guthridge coven went home and when it stopped raining and dried off, Diana took Sylvester out to the tennis courts with Ralph and basically threw soft foam balls at Sylvester for an hour until finally, he stopped a ball in its tracks and sent it hurtling back towards Diana. Happy and Toby went for a swim, and after his practice was done, Sylvester went up to the villa’s music room with Megan as she tried to play the piano because she had learned how as a child before her MS became a problem and had gotten out of practice after her diagnosis. She was able to play Chopsticks, Three Blind Mice, and Mary Had a Little Lamb by the end of two solid hours of practice.

Walter and Paige walked around the grounds until they came across a gazebo with a hammock that was big enough for the two of them to fit in comfortably and that’s where they spent the rest of the day until dinner, curled up happily in each other’s embrace.

Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed, Paige made good on her promise from earlier, but she didn’t rip Walter’s clothes off of him.

Walter walked out of the bathroom in his boxers and he stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell on Paige where she laid on her belly across their bed wearing nothing but a coy smile, her markings standing out against her skin as she twirled a condom between her fingers.

“Paige.”, Walter gasped as her arousal hit him like a freight train and temporarily froze him in place.

“I can tell you’re surprised, we don’t have to do this…”, Paige said softly after a beat of silence, “It’s fine, I can just put on my pajamas, I’m sure you must be exhausted from today…”, she rambled at his stunned silence, turning away from him to retrieve her pajamas from the chair behind her screen.

“Paige, wait…”, Walter said, coming out of his daze and Paige turned back to him when he took her wrist and crawled onto the mattress with her, discarding his boxers as he went.

She smiled lightly as she met him in the middle and they laid on their sides in each other’s embrace, kissing slowly.

Walter’s hand brushed across her shoulders and he felt how tense they were and frowned.

“We’ve had a long day…how about I give you a massage…”, Walter murmured.

“Hmm, only if I get to give you one first…”, she hummed in response.

“I like the sound of that…”

Paige grinned and got up off the bed to grab something out of the bathroom and Walter rested on his stomach on the bed. Soon she emerged carrying a couple towels and a bottle of baby oil which she normally used to remove her makeup.

Walter laid on one of the towels and Paige began to work the oil into his tense shoulders and back muscles, starting at the base of his skull and fanning out as she moved down his body.

He hummed in appreciation and closed his eyes as she worked out the tension in his arms.

“Mmm, I love you, Paige…”, he hummed.

“You’re not just saying that?”, she teased lightly and Walter shook his head no, smiling against his folded arms.

“Mean it. Always have, always will, love…”, he murmured as she massaged his thighs, moving down his legs.

“I love you too.”, Paige murmured before finishing up by working out the tension in his feet.

Walter felt boneless as he sat up and gave Paige a kiss before she took his place on the towel.

Walter mirrored her actions during the massage and Paige must have been very horny, because Walter finished up her back when her arousal flared and Paige rolled over and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down into a deep kiss, catching him off guard.

He had enough time to close the bottle of baby oil as she kissed him and he placed it on a bedside table. He pulled back for air and grinned down at her as she smiled back at him.

“You couldn’t have waited until I was done?”, Walter teased lightly.

Paige shook her head.

“I’m feeling a little impatient…”, she murmured, looping her arms around his neck.

“I can tell…”, Walter said, grinning as he lowered himself down to her body and kissed her just below her ear, making her squirm a little.

“Please.”, came her whispered request.

Walter had no clue what she was asking for, but he pressed kisses down her neck and across her chest before closing his lips around one firm nipple and hearing her gasp as he teased her.

Paige’s hand slipped from his hair and drifted between her thighs to alleviate some of the pressure she was experiencing, but Walter caught her hand and looked up at her before pressing kisses down her belly and then kissing her inner thighs, avoiding the place where she wanted and needed him the most until she was bucking against nothing but thin air.

He kept an eye on her to make sure that she wasn’t upset by his actions and not irritated to the point where she’d ignite, but her scent never changed and her body never began radiating heat.

 _“Walter…”_ , she whined, her voice high pitched and needy, her hands gripping the sheets for dear life. Walter knew he was going to pay for keeping her on edge later, but he accepted his fate (because turnabout is fair play) and finally buried his head between her thighs and began to lap at her enthusiastically, much to her enjoyment.

 Paige’s hips rose to meet his lips and Walter groaned against her clit as she ran her fingers into his hair and gripped him just hard enough to add urgency and hold him against her. Having her fingers in his hair was one of the most erotic things he had ever experienced and he doubled his efforts to show her just how much it turned him on. He used his fingers inside of her before replacing them with his tongue and just when he had found his rhythm, Paige was shaking violently, her mouth forming the perfect ‘O’ as her eyes widened. Walter pulled back because Paige sometimes reflexively tightened her thighs whenever she had an orgasm and he didn’t want to be crushed accidentally, especially with all the strength she possessed as a newborn, it may not kill him, but it might give him one hell of a headache (but what a way to go if it did).

She was silent as she came but her actions spoke volumes about the sensations she was experiencing and Walter crawled up the bed to wrap his arms around her. Paige curled right up to his chest and panted softly as aftershocks left her limp aside from the occasional shiver.

Walter rubbed his hand up and down her back as Paige nuzzled against his neck before she spoke in a hushed voice, her arousal ebbing and flowing like waves on the beach, getting stronger each time.

“Walter?”

“Hmm?”, he hummed, raising his eyebrows in response as he propped himself up onto his elbow to look down at her.

“Make love to me.”, she murmured, rolling onto her back to look up at her mate, “Slowly…”

Walter licked his lips thoughtfully, mulling over her words.

“How about this…I get up and put the towels and the baby oil back in the bathroom, I come back, dim the lights and do something that I’ve always wanted to do…”, he replied, brushing a strand of hair back off her forehead, his heart practically overflowing as Paige smiled up at him.

“What’s that?”, she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Making love to you by the light of the moon…a-all the light pollution back home kind of prevents that from happening…and there’s a full moon out tonight…”, he replied with a shrug, “It’s one of those things I never would have even thought to have done with a partner before I met you…”

“Whys that?”, she asked.

Walter leaned down and pressed his lips to hers before drawing back slowly, his fingertips tracing her jawbone lightly.

“Because…before I met you, I never knew what it felt like to love someone with everything I had…and now I do and, I-I don’t know, it’s sappy and out of character and-and… _overflowing_ with EQ and…”, he trailed off to look at Paige again to take in her soft smile and the tender look in her eyes and sighed, “To be able to experience these _emotions_ with someone for the first time…I’m just so happy that I’m able to experience them with you…I wouldn’t have it any other way…and now, I feel like with all that’s happened today, I’m just grateful to still have you by my side tonight.”

Walter paused and watched as Paige’s eyes welled up a bit.

“I didn’t mean to make you sad…I’m sorry…”, he replied, holding Paige close, trying to console her.

“Walter…I’m not sad…I’m moved and I-I’m overjoyed…”, she replied, pressing her lips to his in a firm, reassuring kiss, rolling him onto his back, “I love you.”, she murmured, her lips millimeters from his, “Do you understand what I mean?”, she asked softly, pulling back to make eye contact.

Walter nodded.

“Slowly but surely, I’m learning…”

Paige nodded.

“Good, now shall we get back to it?”, she asked, smiling a little.

“We shall…now where were we?”, Walter replied, matching her smile.

“Well, I believe you were about to make love to me in the pale moonlight…”, Paige said, raising her eyebrows before gasping as Walter rolled her deftly onto her back and kissing her deeply.

“I was about to make love to you _slowly_ in the pale moonlight…”, Walter all but growled, causing a pleasant heat to spread through her abdomen that had nothing to do with her gifts.

Paige pushed the towels onto the floor and retrieved the condom.

“All we’re missing is the pale moonlight…”, she replied, looking at the lamps in the room that were still lit.

“I can make that happen…”, Walter said and focused on the currents running into the lamps and snapped his fingers, plunging them into darkness except for that pale moonlight that bathed both of them in a beautiful, ethereal glow.

Walter was able to see Paige clearly and he lowered himself to her, she whispered, “I love you”, one more time and as they slowly made love to one another, those words were passed back and forth as if saying them ensured their survival.

 _“I love you.”_ , she murmured as he laid her against the pillows, scattering hot, open-mouthed kisses across her markings.

 _“I love you.”_ , came his growl as he felt her legs wrap around his hips, pulling him in such a way that he slipped right into her with little resistance.

 _“I love you.”_ , she moaned as he marked her collar and bared his fangs gently against the soft flesh of her breast, exciting her.

 _“I love you.”_ , came his hushed reply against her rosebud lips as he intertwined their fingers on either side of her head, using that leverage to bottom out deep inside of her.

It was murmured on her exhalation as he placed his forehead to hers and he echoed it right back as she fluttered around him, driving him nearer to the edge.

It was their intimate call and response that eventually reached a crescendo, leaving them both breathless and panting as they came undone in each other’s embrace.

_“I love you.”_

It was the last thing that they whispered as they fell asleep in each other’s arms, sated and sleepy, curled beneath the covers of their bed, safe and warm and blissfully hidden away from the entire world.

 _B &W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~_ _B &W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~_

**_Six thousand three hundred and twenty-seven miles away on the outskirts of Los Angeles, there stood an abandoned warehouse in the middle of a deserted train yard…_ **

The sharp clicking of the heels on an expensive pair of Louboutins resounded off the cracked concrete floors, echoing through the rafters and bouncing off the high, almost cathedralic ceilings, almost masking the sounds of combat boots walking beside them.

Fancy shoes like those didn’t belong here in this dump.

They were out of place here, and their wearer knew it, but picked her way through the broken glass and garbage anyway.

Not even her expensive tastes would keep her from coming for what was rightfully hers and collecting on a debt.

She could smell the shame and the blood of an injured vampire better than anyone, of course that was what you got when you were brought up and raised as royalty, you saw death occasionally and you experienced shame on a daily basis, but she craved it in a different way than anyone else did, her gift made it hard to control herself.

There was a second vampire tending to the injured one and his was the shame.

Mark Collins didn’t need his eyesight to know it was she who had come for him and Drew Baker knew her scent all too well.

“Elisabetta Moretti…how lovely to finally meet you…And I hear you’ve brought your brute squad with you, how wonderful…if I had known we were expecting company, I would have had Drew here clean up the place…not that it would have done much good…”, Mark Collins orated sarcastically from the dingy mattress he had been laying on in pained darkness for the past few days since that bitch, Megan O’Brien, gouged his eyes out.

 Drew looked up at Elisabetta.

Her skin was pale as the purest white alabaster and flawless, except for a bunch of long scars that ran down the side of her face from her most recent feeding. Her jet black, shoulder length hair offset her skin and her cold red eyes held no mercy and her scarlet painted lips were set in a tight line. Her red and black Alexander McQueen tube dress and matching black leather duster and black leather gloves were flecked with blood and the ruby and onyx pendant she wore around her neck with the Moretti crest stamped into the onyx in silver completed her look.

She had changed a lot since he had been changed by her.

“I may not be able to see you myself, but I’m looking through Drew’s eyes, and I must say, you’re one hatchet-faced bitch…what’s the matter, princess, not used to your food fighting back?”

Her bodyguards stood pale and unblinking, almost as if they were dead. The only way Drew could tell they were alive was by the insatiable hunger he felt radiating from them in waves and the scent of pure venom pumping through their veins.

These were her Strigoi, and Elisabetta was their Moroi, they wouldn’t attack unless she said so.

She ignored Mark and addressed Drew directly.

“Drew…I trust you have a good explanation as to why, when I paid a visit to your darling Paige’s apartment and then to that garage where that coven of geniuses supposedly works, both places were empty?”, Elisabetta said coldly, piercing him with her gaze.

“They went into hiding…protection…with the _Vecchio Ordine_ ”, Drew replied, “Elisabetta, I’m sorry, I tried to make them stay, I- “

“Shut up.”, Elisabetta snapped, silencing Drew instantly.  

“Ooh…princess has some venom…”, Mark drawled.

“You would do well to stay silent before I have my Strigoi rip your throat out and have them silence you for good, you blind fool…”, Elisabetta hissed.

Mark stood.

“I am a god to you, bitch! My intelligence is unparalleled and unmatched! You are nothing to me!”, Mark roared and spat at her feet, saliva getting on her Louboutins, her lip curling in disgust as she motioned for one of her Strigoi to wipe it off with his handkerchief, “Your title, your bloodlines, your plans, even your Strigoi, none of those things matter to me!”

“What matters to you then?”, Elisabetta said, ignoring the Strigoi at her feet as he wiped her patent leather shoes off before tossing the handkerchief aside and rejoining the ranks.

“Making sure Walter O’Brien pays dearly for everything he’s ever done to me… ruining his life as he did mine…”

“And you plan to do this how?”, Elisabetta asked, raising a perfectly penciled eyebrow, even though Collins couldn’t see her.

“I plan to kill every last vampire in that coven of his…”

“Do tell.”

Collins grinned maniacally.

“Well, I’d be starting with the weakest, that psychiatrist hack, Toby Curtis, then moving on to one that would hurt more, that agent halfling, Cabe Gallo…then I’d go for Happy Quinn and then Megan O’Brien, that way I can experience Sylvester’s world falling apart as well as Walter’s…then it gets good…”

Drew felt bile rising in his throat because he knew what was coming next.

“I’m going to kill the fledgling, Ralph Dineen, right in front of his mother, and then, I’ll probably have some fun with Drew’s whore, sorry, _ex whore_ , Walter’s current whore, Paige Dineen… then when I’m done with her and she’s dead at my feet, and Walter is screaming for mercy, I’ll slit his throat!”, Collins shouted and Drew finally saw just how insane he was.

Elisabetta nodded as if she was considering letting him get away with it.

“Interesting…”, she mused aloud, “But I have a feeling your talents will be of much better use to me in another way…As will yours, Drew.”

“How so?”, Drew asked.

“Well, let’s just say that my parents have held the crown for long enough and I don’t like their policy for gifted individuals…really…sending highly gifted ones to their deaths and locking them up that seems a waste if you ask me…I can turn them into my army…the _Nuovo Ordine_ , if you will… When I’m in charge, we won’t have an issue with hunters or normals, no…I see a world created for vampires with normals in their proper place at the bottom of the food chain, after all, we are the superior beings, and I have my secret supporters back in Rome, ready to stand up with me and overthrow my parents…so, what do you say, Collins? Can you trust a hatchet-faced bitch like me to lead you into the new era where your genius will be praised as it should have been all along?”

Collins thought for a moment.

“On one condition, I get Scorpion and I end them.”, he replied.

Elisabetta’s lips twisted up into a grin.

“You have yourself a deal. I’ll even let you live with my advisors in the West Villa…”, she said and held out her gloved hand to Collins, who, using Drew’s vision, shook it, “I also have a reward for you for joining my ranks in my revolution…”

She made one of her gifted Strigoi step forward and use his healing powers to restore Collins’s eyesight and remove the gauze that Drew had meticulously wrapped around his head.

Collins blinked at the harsh light but grinned evilly when his vision focused on the royal in front of him.

“You know, for being a hatchet-faced bitch, I can see why you have so many suitors back in Rome…”, he murmured, “Moretti, I think this will be the beginning of a wonderful partnership.”

“I do hope so.”, she replied in an all-too-saccharine voice.

“So where to now?”, Collins asked.

“First, back to the penthouse suite that I’m staying in…you need a shower, a haircut, a laptop and a change of clothes.”, Elisabetta said to Collins as they walked towards the warehouse doors.

“You’re too kind…”, he replied.

“Then we’re off to Rome…I don’t want to miss the ball my parents throw every year in celebration of their ascension to the head of the _Vecchio Ordine_ …and I can’t wait to pay a visit to this Scorpion coven…If they’re in protection, it should be simple…I have eyes and ears in every safe house…”

Drew watched in abject horror as two of the most insane vampires in the world began plotting and scheming and he found that he was frozen where he stood with no other exit or means of escape.

He had to get out, had to warn Paige and the others that they were no longer safe, after all, this was all his fault.

 “Come Drew, we have a jet to catch, and I’m not done with you yet.”, Elisabetta called over her shoulder, strutting proudly across the cracked concrete in her Louboutins like she already ruled the world, her gaggle of Strigoi following two paces behind her.

“Nor am I…”, Collins said and placed his sway over Drew, forcing him forward and catching him up in this soon to be royal mess.

This was all his fault.


	16. Phoenix Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 16 and 17 started out as one chapter, but after the word count broke 20K, I decided I had to split it in half.   
> After careful deliberation, I decided on a cliffhanger (sorry) because that seemed like the best place to split it.   
> Chapter 17 is around 6K words, so it needs some more fleshing out, but I will have it up as soon as possible!

The next week progressed easily and without incident and the whole coven had been thoroughly enjoying this break from having to put their lives on the line. Of course, the past days had been full of training for everyone. Walter had greatly improved his aim and focus on electrical manipulation as Paige had taken to running and getting used to the limitations (or lack thereof) of her stronger body.

For one of Walter’s exercises, he had stood on the covered porch and Diana had placed targets out in the field for him to focus his striking range for his cloud-to-ground bolts. He hit every target, but then as he turned to answer Ralph’s question about his satisfaction with the exercise (a part of Ralph helping Diana was getting the coven members to rate the quality of their experience), Walter had waved his hand and had inadvertently sent down a bolt of lightning that set one of Maria’s ornamental bushes on fire and sent Diana scrambling for cover. Luckily, Alicia had been able to reverse the damage done to the bush, but Walter was still on the receiving end of Maria’s stink eye for the next day or so.

Sylvester had been improving much slower than anyone else and the coven could tell that he wasn’t enjoying training, and even though he knew that he would probably progress slower than everyone else from the get-go, it still irritated him.

Walter heard Megan and Paige talking about how Sylvester had been holding up when he had passed the music room and Megan had sighed.

_“He’s not doing as well as Diana had hoped and that makes her push harder. Sly doesn’t like it because it reminds him too much of how his father was with him, you know, always pushing him to hunt or to participate in sports…He does try very hard, you know, as do we all…I can’t wait to see how your trainings go…”_

_“It’ll be a while, I just got fitted for my fireproof clothing yesterday, I doubt it’ll be ready any time too soon…”, Paige said with a sigh, “I guess I’m just feeling a little bad because everyone else is making leaps and bounds and I’m not allowed to even try…I mean, the last time I was on fire, Walter had to put me out with a fire extinguisher, so I’m a little more than apprehensive about what’ll happen when I do get my clothing and begin practice.”_

_“I’m sure you’ll do fine, Paige…I mean, I haven’t seen you fail or succeed yet, not even in my oracle phases, so it’s not like anything is promised.”, Megan replied, “Diana will work you hard and you may not like it, hell, I know I don’t, I leave with a headache every time we finish practice, but I just think of the end result and how much good I’ll be able to do with Scorpion. Who knows, in the future, I may be able to warn you before any major case happens, that way we can have time to prepare.”_

_“I suppose…”_

Sylvester hadn’t been the only one feeling the strain of having Diana around. Diana was a very likeable person, but just took her job seriously, and there was no way Walter could find fault in her for that.

Happy complained that Diana pissed her off during training and how hard she had to restrain herself from sending the young trainer to her knees. Toby was griping about how he had to be blindfolded during his sessions and that Diana was humorless and hated it when he tried to psychoanalyze her. Happy told him to deal with it because _“Not everyone can put up with your annoying psych crap like we do.”_. Megan would be pushed hard because her gifts were so rare and so difficult to describe, so there were a lot of things lost in translation that made practice difficult and frustrating for both Diana and Megan. Cabe wasn’t even being trained but he was used as an assistant in some trainings and there had been more than one time that the older halfling had argued with Diana about something having to do with her methods.

Even Ralph complained because Diana had her room next to his and was a relatively noisy neighbor, but that all calmed down when Ralph politely voiced his discontent to the young trainer and she had agreed to keep it down.  

Diana had told Paige flat out that she was forbidden from practicing without her proper equipment because it was a safety risk for everyone if she did (fire burns vampires worse than it does normals) and Paige had agreed but, unbeknownst to anyone, she had been keeping her incendiary tendencies under control, carefully manipulating the heat within her and letting it out when she was in the shower, that way she wouldn’t burn any of her clothes and if the fire got to be a little out of her control, the water, marble, and tile would keep things contained and under control just as long as she pressed herself against the wall in the furthest corner away from the curtain.

Nobody knew about the shower, not even Walter, as the curtain was dark enough to keep light from shining through and the wall tiles were matte and non-reflective, and while Paige initially felt bad about keeping it from him, she didn’t want to let him know so that he could keep that secret from Diana and worry about her behind closed doors.

Paige glanced down at her body where her markings glowed like embers, the light pulsing just beneath her skin in synch with her heartbeat, the light like fire in her veins. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and stepped under the shower’s spray. She focused hard on her hands, holding them out of the water as she watched her palms glow before they ignited. Paige pulled the fire up her forearms and then onto her torso, stepping further out of the water as the flames crossed her breasts and climbed up her legs from her feet where it progressed onto her abdomen. She bit her lip because it kind of tickled her and then she felt her control waver. She stepped back underneath the spray, letting the water douse her flames in a soft hiss and she exhaled, closing her eyes and tipping her head back, letting the warm water rush over her face and down the rest of her body.

No, it was much better that Walter didn’t find out about this.

Paige heard the creak of the bathroom door and felt rather than saw Walter use his gift to turn on the lights, then heard Walter walk to the sink.

That feeling was a nagging sensation that sent her internal fire spiraling closer towards her losing control and that terrified her.

“Paige, you almost done in there? I think Diana might have your outfits from the West Villa today…Either way, she wants us down at breakfast in twenty minutes.”, Walter said, brushing his hand along his jaw and deciding that it was time for a shave.

“Yeah, I’ll be out in no time.”, Paige replied, wondering why, out of all the times Walter had used his gift around her, something would change the way she responded to them. She shrugged as her fire died down again and she began singing as she conditioned her hair.

Walter lathered up and leaned over his sink, his razor moving smoothly over his skin. He smiled as Paige sang in the shower and remembered how Diana said that she would be able to control people’s emotions with her singing and felt his spirits lift as he listened to her, knowing that Diana was right. As he swished his razor in the sink, he heard the hum of his electricity and yanked his hand out of the water.

 _“Well, that was weird.”_ , Walter thought as he glanced over at the dark red curtain that was blocking his view of Paige and her song’s control wavered as he felt himself frown slightly.

He had never lost control of his gift except when he discovered it, so to do so now was more than a little unsettling.

He went back to shaving until he heard Paige swear and looked over to see what happened.

Paige stuck her hand out of the shower and felt around where her towel should be, her fingers frantically grasping at nothing but thin air.

“Walter, can you grab my towel for me? I-I must have put it on another hook, but I have a bit of conditioner in my eye and it really burns...”, she asked, her voice shaking as she continued to pat around on the wall.

The image would have been quite comical if it weren’t for the fact that Paige was in discomfort and sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“No problem.”, Walter said and grabbed her towel for her, pressing the plush material into her outstretched hand as she turned off the water.

He stood there and waited to see if she was okay until he heard her muffled “Thank you” from behind the curtain.

“You’re welcome.”, he sighed as the water came back on and Paige replaced her towel on the hook just outside the shower before closing the curtain tight. Walter wished he could have done more for her.

He sighed and realized that they hadn’t really been romantic in the past week.

 They hadn’t grown any further apart in that time, but they had promised Diana that they would keep to their schedules, which allowed for very little spare time and neither Walter nor Paige really enjoyed quickies, because they both liked foreplay and they both liked the afterglow, how they’d lay there in each other’s arms and simply bask in the feeling of their mutual satisfaction. Walter especially enjoyed how much Paige liked it when he’d bring her to another orgasm a minute or so after pulling out of her.

Walter entertained the image of Paige from the last time they had been together. Her chest had been heaving as he teased her with his fingertips before pushing the flat of his tongue against her. She was already sated and sensitive from sex; shivering, moaning, and sometimes even giggling as he worked to draw another orgasm out of her.

Paige had even joked while Walter had his head buried between her thighs that if being the phoenix wasn’t her gift, being multi-orgasmic most certainly was and Walter had hummed in agreement. Less than a minute later, Paige had come completely undone again, her fingers gripping his curls as she arched her back and gasped his name.

Paige had to wave Walter off when he tried to help her recover because she was so hyper sensitive and he distanced himself from her a little and laid on his stomach, watching her practically glow in the dim light as she calmed down.

He was mesmerized as he watched her continue to buck her hips, tremble, and make small, pleasurable noises; the aftereffects of her orgasm serving as a strong reminder to him about how sensitive Paige was. He watched her carefully before taking her hand, pressing soft kisses to the back of it, and gently tracing over the lines he found on her palm as he whispered that he loved her.

It took a while, but when she finally calmed down, Paige brought the blanket up and over her body and snuggled up with Walter, placing her head on his chest over his heart and murmuring an ‘I love you’ contentedly as she heard their heartbeats synchronize like they seemed to do whenever they were together. Walter had traced her back markings with his fingertips and he felt the pulsing heat in her palm where it laid flat on his chest and he allowed its presence to calm him enough to follow his mate into sleep.

That had been the last night that they had made love.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t had the time or strength for sex in the past few days. Walter’s training took a lot out of him, so he had been exhausted and Paige just hadn’t really been in the mood recently, so every night, Walter curled around Paige’s body, although it was feeling more and more like he was protecting her instead of romancing her.

Paige couldn’t fault him for that, she just let him hold her close as she cuddled against his chest, after all, last week, they had heard from Agent Phipps that an anonymous eyewitness had described two men matching the descriptions for Drew and Collins boarding a jet with a dark-haired woman and their entourage in the dead of night. Phipps hadn’t found out where the jet had been going, nor had he been given enough information describing the jet to make a comparison, so it was very likely that Drew and Collins could be anywhere in the world, and that shook Walter to his core.

Oliver had increased the perimeter security on his villa and the Red Villa, not wanting to take any chances with Penelope’s safety, especially not in the last trimester of her pregnancy, and making sure that everyone, especially Ralph, was safe.

He knew that everyone in Scorpion, especially Paige and Walter, would never forgive him if something happened to the fledgling on his watch, so he had Victoria lead the team of enforcers for the Red Villa. At least then they’d have someone able to prevent mental attacks and keep the rest of the guards from falling under Collins’ sway.

Walter was grateful for Oliver’s help in the past week, he had been making the transition easier on all of them by providing them with news from outside the Red Villa and keeping them updated on the status of their protection. Walter and Paige had even left the Villa for one evening and had dinner with the benefactor responsible for funding their stay, an American businessman and multimillionaire tech mogul named Richard Elia. Richard had a huge mansion, bigger than the Red Villa, and he and his mate and their two children lived there with their servants, their guards, and their dogs and horses.

Paige had talked nicely with the Elias, but she had also told Walter later that night when they were getting ready for bed that she didn’t like how Richard had been trying to butter him up and make him sign a contract that would have Walter working in his think tank.

Walter had sighed and agreed, but told Paige that, as long as they were in danger, he would kiss up to Elia and do or say whatever it took (within reason) to keep them there and safe.

Again, Paige couldn’t fault Walter for doing what was best for the coven, even if it may not be the best thing for him. She would always worry about him though, that would never change.

Paige sighed and grabbed her towel again and began drying off as she heard the even sound of Walter breathing and his heartbeat accompanied by the soft scrape and swish of the razor over his skin. She wrapped her towel around her chest before pushing the curtain back and stepping out of the shower stall to meet Walter’s eyes.  She smiled at him as she walked over to where her clothes were hanging and began getting dressed for the day. Walter’s eyes never left her as she dropped the towel and patted it over her skin.

She glanced over at the mirror that Walter was using to look at her and felt a shiver roll down her spine at the lusty look in his eyes.

He gazed at her like he did whenever he wanted her and she was just as guilty of giving him the bedroom eyes whenever he emerged from his showers; dripping wet with nothing but a towel around his waist, looking every bit like a man from one of the few trashy bodice-ripper romance novels she had actually enjoyed.

Paige would have been lying if she said that she wasn’t currently envisioning Walter crossing the room and tossing her towel aside with a low growl before lifting her up onto the marble countertop and making her come undone with just his hands.

If they had had more time, she probably would have sauntered over to the vanity counter, perched herself on the edge of it and parted her legs slightly before giving Walter a ‘come hither’ gesture.

Paige felt her fire flare inside of her at the thought and that was enough to shake her from her erotic daydream.

Walter’s eyes flashed with concern and his bedroom eyes vanished as he began to gaze at her in a very gentle, loving manner, like he had ever since he sensed that she was starting to hate keeping her powers bottled up.

He also knew that she was apprehensive about her powers and self-conscious about her new body, especially since the superstitious old female halfling who had taken Paige’s measurements for her outfits had called her a fire demon and not so politely announced to Paige that her hips were too narrow, that it was a wonder how she managed to give birth the first time, and that she was too skinny to give birth to more strong sons and please her mate, telling her that she needed to eat more.

Paige still took that harder than she thought she should have and had told Walter about it after his practice for the day had ended.

He could remember the conversation vividly.

_“Walter?”, Paige asked as he washed his face._

_“Hmm?”, he hummed in response, rinsing off before giving her his undivided attention, noticing her uncertainty and frowning slightly._

_“You know that halfling that fitted me today?”_

_“Yeah, I didn’t like how she was eyeing you up like you were inadequate...I didn’t want to leave you with her, but I had training…Why do you ask?”_

_Paige rubbed the top of her foot against the back of her calf and glanced down at her hands._

_“I shouldn’t let this get to me, I mean, what does she know about me, anyway? She uh, not so politely said that I would never be able to please you or give you strong sons…she basically tore me down and called me a fire demon…”_

_Walter shook his head and approached Paige, placing his palms flat on her upper arms._

_“Hey, Paige, look at me…”_

_She obeyed, feeling trapped (in a good way) by the intensity of his gaze._

_“That old hag doesn’t know a thing about you. She doesn’t know that you have a wonderful son or a mate that loves you more than life itself. She doesn’t know how satisfied I am when you and I make love, and believe me, I am satisfied and pleased, or whatever she said you weren’t able to do to me, because, love, you do it all.”_

_Paige smiled softly and Walter felt a little better, feeling like now was as good a time as any to ask her a question that had been eating away at him for a while._

_“Uh, Paige, I-I know this isn’t just something people talk about casually, but I need to know, do you want to have more children?”, he asked, glancing down to see her expression._

_Paige had been taken aback by the question but she smiled anyway, knowing her response in seconds._

_“I suppose I could see myself being pregnant again someday, maybe not for a few years though. How about you? Have you given much thought to having children? You already do so well with Ralph, but a baby is much more work than a preteen is and so is a toddler…Are you sure you’re ready for that?”_

_Walter nodded._

_“Well, I’m sure it’ll be difficult at first, but I’ll learn from the best and I’ll get better.”, Walter said and leaned forward to press a kiss to Paige’s forehead, “I think I’d rather wait a few years first, just to get used to things as they are now.”_

_“Yeah, I do want more children in time because I feel like I’ve been a single parent for centuries instead of only years, so I’m still getting used to you being able to split the tasks that I’ve been doing on my own since Ralph was born, I mean, I’ll still be able to have children for the next century or so, since I’m only thirty-one right now and I don’t want to try after I’ve biologically aged into my later forties, which would be about, uh…”, Paige trailed off, working out the math in her head before yawning and looking at her feet, always feeling inadequate when her math wasn’t coming to her as quickly as it did for her mate or her son._

_“150 years from now.”, Walter supplied softly, knowing how she felt, after all, he felt the same way with pop culture references and emotions._

_“Thanks, 150 years…”, Paige placed her hands in his and intertwined their fingers before glancing up at him, “I want to have your children, Walter.”, Paige added and Walter’s stomach did an odd flip at her words, “I can’t guarantee that I’ll give you strong sons though.”, she said with a half grin._

_Walter chuckled and kissed her forehead again._

_“Well, if it eases your mind at all, it’s genetically impossible for you to give me sons.”_

_“Oh?”, she asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’m intrigued.”_

_“Biologically speaking, sex is determined by the father. Female sex chromosomes are XX and male sex chromosomes are XY. Since we only have half the chromosomes regular cells have in our sex cells, you’d give one X in your half and I could give an X or a Y in my half to make a zygote.”_

_Paige matched his grin and laughed._

_“I think I understand…So, Walter O’Brien, would you give me strong sons?”, she asked, joking with him._

_“I can’t promise anything, but, when we’re both ready and the time is right, I will certainly try my best, although I wouldn’t mind having a daughter.” he replied, earning a smile from Paige._

_“A daughter would be nice…”, she murmured, visions of a little girl with Walter’s curls and eyes and her smile forming in her mind’s eye._

Walter came out of his memories and glanced over at Paige as she finished dressing and began to brush her teeth beside him, humming to herself.

Walter splashed water onto his face and patted his skin dry before putting on his aftershave.

“Walter?”, Paige asked, placing her toothbrush in its holder.

“Hmm?”

“When it comes time for me to practice, will you watch me?”, Paige asked.

“Of course, that is, unless you’d rather I didn’t…”, Walter replied.

Paige shrugged.

“I wouldn’t mind you there and I know Ralph and Diana have to be there, but I don’t want the rest of the coven or anyone else watching me. I know you don’t care when the coven watches you practice, but I guess I’m like Megan.”

“Well, that’s because Megan needs her peace and quiet when she practices.”

“And my gift is just a super destructive force of nature…I have little to no control over it if I let it out and I barely have a grasp on it now… I’m terrified of the coven seeing me destroy something or hurt someone…I-I don’t want them to be afraid of me…”

Walter sighed and snapped the lights off in the bathroom and that sensation of feeling his powers returned to Paige for a split second.

“Paige, please don’t let the few characteristics I gave to you be my pessimism, my insecurities, and my fear of other people’s negative opinions of me.”, he stated, “You’ve never seen what good your powers can do, you never saw that bird fly away… your gifts may be destructive, but so are mine and everyone else’s when used the wrong way.  I respect your right to keep your practices private, but sooner or later, the coven will have to see what you can do because, like you told us from the start, we are a team and we need to work together.”

Paige nodded.

“I’m sorry...I guess I’m just tired from keeping this power contained for so long…”

“Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong.”, he replied.

Paige nodded and Walter went to embrace her, but she took a step back.

That simple action made Walter feel like someone had driven a spike through his heart.

“Paige?”, he asked tentatively, worried that he wasn’t being as emotionally present as he should be, or, perhaps he was being too emotionally present and Paige needed room to breathe to keep from becoming overwhelmed as he had had to do in the past whenever there were too many emotions for him to handle.

Paige looked down at her hand and felt the tingle of her powers. Diana had told her not to ignite, but something inside of her was telling her that it would be okay to just light her hand.

Paige glanced back up at Walter and saw the hurt in his eyes.

“Walter, I want to try something…”, she murmured.

“Okay, what is it?”

“This.”, Paige said and her right hand went up in flames, but only her right hand.

Walter took a step back in surprise.

“Paige, you aren’t supposed to be doing that!”, Walter said urgently, fearing that she would be hauled away if anyone found out about her breaking her promise to not go up in flames whenever she wanted.

“But don’t you feel it? That niggling sensation in the back of your mind that’s telling you to use your gifts right now too?”

Walter sighed and found that Paige was right. 

He could feel it tingling at his fingertips and let the arcs of static jump across his hand.

“Here. Take my hand.”, Paige said, “Before you tell me that I’ll burn you, let me say that I don’t think I could, not while I’m in control…”

Walter looked at her, dubious as to how this would work. Scientifically speaking, his gifts shouldn’t prevent him from being burned.

“Paige, I don’t know…”, he murmured, shaking his head.

Paige nodded and said, “How about I concentrate my gift on my pinky fingertip and you concentrate your gift on your pointer fingertip. If we can touch just our fingertips together, we’ll be okay.”

“And if I get burned, or if you get shocked, it’s only our fingertips that get damaged…”

“Well, unless you accidentally electrocute me…”, Paige replied, shrugging even though she was nervous about what might happen.

Walter nodded.

They had asked around to find out what happened when vampires got electrocuted and Kim told them about the time it happened to her cousin.

_“Well, electrocution won’t kill you, if that’s what you’re asking. My cousin is fine now, but when it happened, he was working on the electric in a house and there was a surge or something and it knocked him out. Poor thing burned his hands something awful. He’s a full vampire, so he healed up physically and looks perfectly normal now, but he hasn’t really been right in the head since it happened...Feel sorry for his mate…they’re still together and they manage and all, but they don’t get on quite as well as they once did…He still loves their children more than life itself though, so at least that hasn’t changed…Doctor said that it affects everyone differently, so someone else could get electrocuted and be completely fine as far as mental health goes…”_

 “Ready?”, Paige asked, hoping that she wouldn’t burn Walter.

Walter nodded in reply and steeled himself. He couldn’t bear to have Paige withdraw from him completely should he accidentally electrocute her. Walter imagined what the rest of his coven would say to them if they knew what he and Paige were about to do, and Toby’s voice broke through, saying something that made him smile.

“You know,”, Walter paused, his fingertip hovering near Paige’s, drawing her attention to his face, “Toby would say that we were playing with fire…I can appreciate a pun like that…”, he said with a smile, reassurance settling into him when Paige smirked in return before placing her fingertip to his.

Walter had been bracing for the pain that was sure to follow Paige’s touch, but was surprised when he felt a soft tickling sensation instead. Paige gasped as she felt his energy rush through her all at once, but it didn’t hurt. In fact, it felt more like they completed each other and that thought made joy bloom in her chest.

They broke apart a second later and Walter looked at his fingertip before he glanced up at Paige who was relieved and amazed.

“I can’t believe we just did that and that it worked.”, she said.

“Neither can I.”, Walter breathed before he sensed Paige’s exhaustion at keeping her flames at bay.

Paige wrapped her arms around him and fitted herself against his body, her chin resting on his shoulder. Walter felt and heard her exhale and knew that every minute she kept the flames contained was drawing her energy, not enough to seriously weaken her, but enough for her to take notice.

The sooner those clothes came for her, the better, and then after that, hopefully, she’d learn to cope with her power in a healthy way.

Paige pulled back and lovingly patted Walter on the cheek.

“Come on, Walter. Let’s get some breakfast.”

They left their room and walked through the halls and just as they were passing the staircase leading up to Megan and Sylvester’s room, Paige stopped and inhaled, wrinkling her nose up.

“What is that smell?”, she asked quietly so only Walter could hear her.

“I don’t know…”, Walter replied, inhaling, trying to categorize it because it was definitely familiar, but still so foreign to him.

“That smell is probably your sister.”, came Maria’s voice, causing both of them to jump slightly as she walked out of an alcove that she had been tidying and nodded knowingly up the stairs.

Suddenly Walter understood.

“Ah, I see…”, he said and nodded before trying to ignore the smell.

“What? What is it?”, Paige asked.

“Just you wait, you’ll see…”, Maria replied, “You’ll both be feeling the heat, I’m sure, what with you being new mates...”

Paige looked confused.

Walter cleared his throat and turned to Paige.

“Uh, Megan must not be on any sort of birth control that inhibits ovulation, so, well, she’s ovulating…”, Walter replied and Paige tilted her head to the side in mild confusion before Maria rolled her eyes and began to speak.

“That scent is the closest thing to euphoria you’ll ever experience after mating, it’s the reason why Bruno and I had six children of our own, they’re all grown up, they’ve found their own mates and have their own children now.”

“Ah, I see…”, Paige replied.

“Allow me to educate you, Paige, because your body works a little differently now than it did when you were a normal.”, Maria said kindly, setting her basket of cleaning supplies down as Paige motioned for the older woman to explain.

 “You have your monthly cycle and that stays the same, but in some ways, you’re more like an animal because when you ovulate, or go into heat, as some like to call it, your scent becomes different. If ovulation is uninhibited and you have a mate, especially a male one, that scent will make them want you and those hormones of yours will make you want him. It’s how vampires have survived for so long…I’ve heard the drive to reproduce doesn’t show quite as much if you aren’t bound to a mate or if you’re older and beyond child bearing age; I wouldn’t know much about the former because I’ve been with Bruno for as long as I can remember, but the latter is partially true and although your sex drive doesn’t really diminish, there’s no monthly frenzy that comes with ovulating…They also say that the scent of another’s mate is repulsive, but for all I’ve seen, that might not be true…”

“So Megan is…”, Paige began.

Maria half grinned and shrugged.

“Let’s just say she and Sylvester are occupied at the moment, shall we?” Maria replied.

“So if I’m on a birth control that inhibits ovulation, will I still go into heat?”, Paige asked.

Maria thought for a moment before responding.

“It all depends on your body’s new physiology and this includes your gifts, which could very well have an effect on your birth control and possibly weaken it. I’ve noticed that most female vampires on ovulation inhibiting birth control go through a sort of dulled heat, but their mates still have that drive to reproduce. It’s different for asexual vampires who have mates but are repulsed by sex, but of course, that doesn’t apply to you.”, she replied, smirking when Paige and Walter blushed at her words before she continued good-naturedly, “Come now, who do you think does the laundry in this household? I’m old, I’m no stranger to these things.”

Paige nodded.

“So essentially, I _could_ cycle into a full heat with ovulation, but at the same time, I might not?”, Paige asked.

Maria nodded.

“Essentially. Either way, I’d suggest the use of a prophylactic…I just hope Megan and Sylvester do the same, I’ve seen many mates get pregnant early on and, speaking from my own experience with being a teenaged mother; the first baby _always_ puts a strain on the relationship, but mates work through it and, for the most part, it makes them stronger. I just don’t want Megan’s prophecy coming true if she’s with child, that could put her in grave danger…”

Walter nodded, eager to move on past this discussion about his sister and his best friend trying to procreate.

“I’m starving and I’m sure Ralph will want to tell us all about what he and Diana have planned for today…”, Walter said, changing the subject holding out his hand to Paige, who took it and followed Maria towards the dining room.

They never made it because Ralph raced out of the dining room and slid on the highly glossed floors, cutting off their path.

“Good morning, Ralph.”, Maria said as she turned to go down the hall that ran parallel to the dining room where the kitchen was located.

“Hi Mrs. Maria.”, Ralph said as she walked away before turning his attention back to his parents.

“Mom, dad! Guess what came overnight from the West Villa!”, Ralph said excitedly, practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, “It came by a courier and it was sitting on the table in the front hall today!”

“Well, good morning to you too!”, Paige exclaimed, giving her son a hug and brushing down his cowlick before her son pulled away and gave Walter a hug too, “Was it a letter?”, Paige asked.

Ralph shook his head and replied.

“Nope, but it’s in the dining room on the table.”

Ralph raced into the dining room and stood by his mother’s place where a rather large package sat.

Paige approached it and glanced at the tag. On one side, it bore a strange insignia and on the other side were the words, _‘One of three.’_

Paige glanced at Walter as she sat down and Walter shrugged as she opened the package to find two outfits and a jumpsuit plus a pair of matching combat boots (no doubt bought by Elia, because his insignia was stamped on the hanging tag), fingerless gloves, and a belt. The first outfit consisted of a long-sleeved shirt and pants, the other consisted of another pair of pants and a short sleeved shirt. The seamstress had been kind enough to create a few pairs of socks and some underwear and bra sets and had even included a few tank tops.

“How did she make all this?”, Paige asked, inspecting the jumpsuit, weighing it in her hands, “This has a layer of—what is this? Chainmail?”

Diana entered the room just as Paige asked the question and she replied.

“Well, Carlotta is a part of the gifted elders and is one of the few gifted halflings we have here. She has the same gifts of telekinesis as Hazel does, but rumor has it that she worked as a nurse during World War 1 and got so good at stitching people up that she decided to make it her profession, so she did. Chances are, she probably just sat in her room and made every single item at the same time just by willing her needles and machines to work for her.”

“But what about the chainmail?”, she asked, “And the woven Kevlar in the body?”

“Her grandson possesses the same gifts. Believe it or not, telekinesis is an exceedingly popular gift, people just apply their gift in certain ways to make it unique to them. Her application is sewing and her grandson’s is metalworking and blacksmithing. He probably made the chainmail by hand and ordered the Kevlar for his grandmother…”

“That doesn’t explain why she’s so, well, _rude_.”, Paige replied.

Diana sighed and shook her head, grabbing her empty teacup.

“Oh, you’re going to feel terrible when I tell you why Carlotta doesn’t really talk to anyone but her grandson.”

“Why?”

Diana put down her cup and selected her tea before pouring hot water into her cup, not looking at Paige as she spoke.

“Because her mate committed suicide many years ago and she found him. She was only able to have one child because of a complication that left her sterile. That child also died as an adult, he was decapitated in a horrific car accident and left behind a wife and a seven-year-old son named Darius… Her daughter-in-law was a normal who was killed by a bunch of hunters in front of Darius for consorting with and carrying the child of a vampire. Luckily the hunters were killed by other vampires before they could kill Darius. Carlotta practically raised him… it’s been just the two of them for so long, so I guess it’s hard to let people in…”

“That explains why she’s not a people person…”, Paige muttered sadly, referring to the way Carlotta had acted towards her in the day of her fitting.

Diana shook her head as she steeped her tea.

“Now Carlotta may come off as being harsh and cruel, hell, even I can’t begin to count the number of times that she’s asked me why I don’t have a mate or why don’t I eat more, because, apparently, I’m not fit to bear children...I’d be willing to bet that she said something similar to you.”, Diana said.

Paige laughed softly and Walter smiled as he felt his spirits lift a little at the sound.

He couldn’t imagine the type of pain Carlotta must have gone through and his heart went out to the old seamstress and her grandson.

“That’s exactly what she said to me. I feel terrible now because I know what happened to her family…”, Paige replied softly.

Diana waved her hand and sipped her tea.

“Eh, she says that to everyone and everyone’s responses to hearing about her past are the same, but you have to trust me, your sympathy is the last thing she wants…”

“I bet she doesn’t say that stuff about ‘not being able to please your mate’ to guys though….”

Diana let out a short bark of laughter.

“Au contraire Miss Dineen, when she’s doing a man’s fitting, she’ll harp on him about getting a mate, treating his mate well, having children, and being a decent father, so I don’t think she means anything by it, but for all her insults, she sure does make some beautiful clothes…”

Paige nodded in agreement and ate her breakfast as Happy and Toby entered the room.

“I know you all smelled that, right?”, Toby said, jabbing his thumb in the general direction of Megan and Sylvester’s room.

Walter coughed on his orange juice and gave Toby a look as Paige cleared her throat and nodded towards Ralph, who took it as a cue to cover his ears. He had been around Toby enough times to know that he was about to make some sort of innuendo or say something that his mother didn’t want him picking up on.

“What?”, Toby asked, “It’s a legit question…”

“Not in front of Ralph, it isn’t, Doc.”, Happy muttered.

“Right, sorry, but one of these days, he’s going to learn about the birds and the bees and then you and Walter are going to sit him down and give him the talk.”, Toby replied, “He’s going into middle school this year, so I’d expect him to ask about sex sooner rather than later, especially since you were a teen mom.”

Paige sighed.

“I know, but today isn’t that day, understood?”, she replied.

Toby inclined his head towards Paige.

“Of course, Miss Dineen.”

Paige gave Ralph the thumbs up and he uncovered his ears and continued eating.

The doorway to the kitchen opened and Cabe strode in with Kim, Santana, Maria, and Bruno. They were all talking amongst themselves and Maria carried an envelope, which she handed to Walter.

“You’re the head of your coven, so you are responsible for notifying them of this.”, she said.

“Thanks.”, Walter replied, taking the envelope from Maria.

It bore the Moretti insignia and he contemplated opening it then and there before deciding that he should wait until the whole coven was present.

 Diana engaged Paige in a conversation regarding training and Ralph pulled out his tablet and began working trainings into Paige’s schedule, cutting out whatever remaining she and Walter seemed to have for each other. Walter sighed and ate his eggs, feeling slightly guilty for mourning the loss of his and Paige’s romantic life so quickly into their relationship, but smiling anyway when Paige grinned, knowing that she must be happy to finally get a chance to let the fire out.

Walter sighed. He knew that once this was all over and they were safe at their garage again, the opportunity would come when one or both of Ralph’s friends from school would no doubt want to have a play date when he returned to them. Walter decided that when that happened, he would cancel work that day and spend it with Paige in their bedroom. He’d bring it up with Paige later to see what she thought about the idea, but he had a feeling that she wouldn’t refuse his proposition.

“Walter, I want you present for Paige’s trainings as a safety precaution.”, Diana said, bringing Walter back to the present, “Ralph will be watching from a distance but I want you nearby with a hose in case something goes wrong. I’ll have a hose as well, so it’s not like you’re the only one who has a way to defend yourself. We’ll have your target practice after breakfast and Paige, you’ll take that opportunity to change.”

Paige nodded.

As they finished up breakfast, Megan and Sylvester entered the room.

“Ah, nice of you to join us.”, Toby remarked before Happy jabbed him with her elbow.

“Sorry we were late…”, Megan replied.

“No need to apologize.”, Walter said.

“We were just- “, Sylvester began before being cut off.

“And no need to explain yourselves.”, Happy added.

Sylvester and Megan nodded and began getting their breakfast as Ralph read out the cumulative progress reports for the past week’s trainings. When it came to trainings, Ralph was the best person for the job of handling reports and statistics. He had been a great help to Diana, who had even come up to Paige and Walter and told them how much of a blessing it was to finally have someone helping her with the trainings as she was so busy with the actual training to do the data inputs and because people in the _Vecchio Ordine_ still looked down on her and ‘nobody wants to play secretary to a nineteen-year-old’. 

After the reports were given, Walter remembered the letter and cleared his throat, causing everyone to fall silent.

“Uh, I have a letter from the West Villa addressed to our coven, and I wanted to wait until we were all present before reading it.”, he stated before opening the letter and beginning to read.

“I, Alfonso Michelangelo Moretti, Lord of the _Vecchio Ordine_ and first son of the most noble coven Moretti, my wife and mate, Lady Regina Bernadetta Moretti, and our daughter, Lady Regent Elisabetta Mia Moretti, are pleased and honored to invite you to the 337th Annual Unification Ball.”

“A ball?”, Happy asked incredulously, “You mean like stuffy dresses, uncomfortable shoes, and dancing and stuff?”

“You forgot brownnosing…”, Kim muttered.

  “Seems that way…”, Walter murmured before continuing to read.

“The Unification Ball marks the day that the Moretti coven successfully established and modernized a formal ruling system for the vampire and halfling communities, bringing covens together in a civilized fashion and finally updating the archaic laws, better suiting them for an ever growing and expanding world. We’ve had great successes as one and we hope that we can continue this growth and progress for many generations to come. The _Vecchio Ordine_ is thankful for the support of our orders and those who serve in them.”

Walter sighed as the wall of text stared him in the face.

Hadn’t these people ever heard of double spacing?

Diana cleared her throat and spoke up, gaining the coven’s attention.

“You don’t have to read the rest of it, I can tell that you think it’s not that important to know all the details, so I’ll paraphrase by saying that it basically goes on to praise all the benefactors, healers, gifted vampires, enforcers and basically everyone else in the lower orders that nobody really knows about for all their hard work with keeping everything running.”, Diana stated, “All you really need to know is that there’s no formal dress code in Italy, but this ball is the Italian equivalent of a white tie formal event. It’s three weeks from this Friday, which may seem rushed, but you need to trust me when I say that it’s normal for the _Vecchio Ordine_ to send out invitations for this on a rather short notice, especially to the safe houses. They must have decided that your coven wasn’t in extreme danger like some of the other covens they have in the other safe houses.”

“Define ‘extreme danger’, because we have a gifted homicidal madman searching for us and we don’t know where he is, so forgive me for being more than a little cautious about leaving this place.”, Sylvester said.

“Extreme danger is when you have mobs of people and vampires trying to kill you instead of just one vampire, maybe two if Drew is a part of this. Some of the covens in our protection have vampires who have lost their mates, their parents, and even their children to hunters and rival covens. Don’t get me wrong, Collins is dangerous, especially if he has people with him, but because of the nature of your gifts, this coven could easily fend for itself if necessary, even without my help, so I assume that Alfonso and Regina decided that you were safe enough to make an appearance for one night.”, Diana replied.

Sylvester nodded, knowing that Diana had come from a rather difficult and dangerous situation herself.

“Right then. I think I’ve had more than enough time here. I expect you all at your trainings at your specified times.”, she said as she stood up and glanced at Megan and Sylvester, “Please don’t be late.”

“We won’t.”, Megan replied.

Diana nodded.

“Walter? If you’re ready to head out, I’ll send Ralph out to set up the targets. I need to call my aunt, but it shouldn’t take long. I’ll meet you out there, okay?”

Walter and Ralph nodded.

“I’ll mix up the distances and hide a few ground targets for him to sense out.”, Ralph said as he got to his feet.

“Sounds good. Don’t start until I’m there and make sure to open the spreadsheet from the email I sent to you.”

Ralph nodded and ran to the doors, grabbing a water bottle and an apple off of the sideboard as he went.

“Be careful!”, Paige yelled at his retreating back and he glanced back at her with a smile.

“Don’t worry, mom, I always am. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”, he said and raced outside.

Walter looked at Paige and kissed her cheek before rising.

“Please be careful.”, Paige murmured, looking up at her mate.

“I will…”, Walter replied before leaning down and whispering, “Please try to keep it in.”

“I will.”, Paige whispered, kissing him on the cheek before rising.

“I think I’ll clear the table, give him some time to hide my targets.”, Walter said and took the plates into the kitchen.

“I’ll go get changed.”, Paige said as she left the room.

“See you in a few then.”, he replied, pushing open the door to the kitchen.

Santana was on the phone with a notepad in his hand, speaking in fast Italian with someone who was arguing with him.

Kim was kneading bread dough for later, but she looked up at Walter when he entered the room.

“What’s up with Santana?”, Walter asked as he placed the dishes in the sink and began rinsing them down as he loaded the dishwasher.

Kim glanced over at him and shook her head.

“Arguing over a delivery. Apparently, we got the wrong delivery and when it was corrected, half the fruits and vegetables had turned... he says that we don’t pay as much as we do for bad service and poor quality.”, she replied.

“I’d have to agree with him…”, Walter replied.

“So, Paige is finally going to start her training today…that’s exciting… that is, I just hope...”, Kim trailed off and went back to her bread, “Well, never mind…”

“No, what were you going to say?”

Kim sighed.

“I just hope that she’s able to control it…From what I’ve heard about the balcony incident, it was pretty dangerous…I heard that your hands were burned…”, she replied, lowering her voice, “I don’t mean to alarm you, but the last elemental we got around here was taken away, and I know that Guthridge told you she’d be safe and so did Diana, but I just remember the enforcers that had to take away the last elemental…he had a mate and three children…His mate…she nearly died fighting the enforcers, put up a bigger fight than her mate. They only got her to calm down when they put silver spikes to her children’s hearts and threatened their lives if she didn’t calm down…she calmed down, though she went half mad from the grief and they all landed in one of the high security houses, essentially, they were put under house arrest…”

Kim shook her head.

“Poor things…seeing their father dragged off and their mother lose her mind only to lose their freedom. It’s a cruel life and it makes me sick sometimes.”

“Then why do you do it?”, Walter asked, “I have faith that Paige will overcome her challenge, but why do you stay if you hate it?”

Kim chuckled.

“If you knew the truth, you’d think I was a fool.”

“You don’t know that.”, Walter said, drying his hands and starting the dishwasher.

“Fine. My mum knew this Romani vampire who lived in York. On the day of my first hunt, which is treated as a ‘coming of age’ of sorts in the English covens, the vampire came for the festivities and she was an oracle. Not nearly as gifted as your sister, but she believed in the sight that had been passed down along her bloodlines, so she told me that a mate would be found in a worthy, just, and honorable service and that they would originally plan to only pass through but then decide to stay. When I was recruited for the Red Villa, Oliver told me himself that it would be a worthy, just, and honorable service. I took it as a sign and so I joined the staff here.”

“You think you’ll find a mate here?”, Walter asked.

Kim shook her head and chuckled.

“Silly, right? Basing my whole career on the words of some old crone who might not have even had the sight… I mean, this is an unlikely place to find love, but she did say that they would be passing through. As a safe house, we host covens from all over the world, so I never know who I might meet or who might have a mind to stay. I’m sure that when you and Paige and Megan and Sylvester found each other, it was some extremely romantic affair and everything was perfect, just meant to be.”, she said, “I bet it was like something out of a fairy tale…”, she murmured.

Walter laughed.

“It was hardly what I’d call a fairy tale for both of us.”, he replied, “The first time I met Paige, I was installing the Wi-Fi in a diner and she was waitressing. We barely even talked to each other. Ralph was there too. He was using the condiments on the table to play chess with himself because he was having problems at school. I went up and began to play chess with him and he almost beat me and then I knew that he was a fledgling and a genius. The first time I really talked to Paige, I wound up insulting her…see, I wasn’t good at talking to people then…”

“Wow…what did you say?”

“I told her that her nail polish was streaky because she had anemia, she had no-name sneakers and Ralph had orthotics, she had inflamed eyes and was pale from working two jobs, and that the reason why Ralph’s father wasn’t around was due to interpersonal communication problems.”

“Ouch.”, Kim said, “It’s a wonder she didn’t slap you…I probably would have…”

“No, she just set the record straight on my assumptions and then I told her that Ralph was a genius fledgling vampire.”

“When did you realize that you loved her?”

Walter sighed and recalled their first case to Kim, the dough lying forgotten on the countertop. Santana had begun listening too, although he left to do something after a time.    

 “…I realized Paige was special when we were at the end of that runway. We were both shaken, but we were alive and everyone had survived… To be honest, I never really realized I loved her in one moment...it became apparent over time and I kept telling myself that love wasn’t real right up until the first time I kissed her…”, Walter paused, “Looking at her in the sunlight that day, the way she blushed, that smile on her face, I realized that I had been kidding myself and that I had grown to love her for all she was as a normal, and I still love her for all she is now.”

“That was so romantic… How about Megan and Sylvester?”, Kim replied.

Walter chuckled.

“If you want the whole story, you’d have to ask them… I, unfortunately, am late for training.”, he replied.

Kim nodded.

“Ah well, I guess you best be on your way then, but thank you for telling me the story…it is a lot more romantic than you think…”, Kim replied, “I hope that one day, I’ll have a romantic story of my own…”

“Kim,”, Santana called, poking his head from around a doorway, “I’m going into the village for some things, want to come along? It’s a beautiful day and I heard that the flowers you like are in full bloom.”

Kim nodded and looked at the dough.

“Just give me a second to put this away, I’ll be right out.”

Santana nodded and left them.

Walter didn’t miss the way Kim smiled at Santana or the look in his eyes when he spoke to her.

“I think that that old crone might have been right. You did find someone in this service.”, Walter replied, nodding towards the doorway where Santana had disappeared.

Kim shook her head and laughed.

“Santana? No…he’s not passing through, he’s been here for years, we both have...”, her smile faded and she dropped the dough, “oh gosh, but I remember when he came here…he was only supposed to stay a few weeks when our old chef left on holiday with his wife…our old chef decided to travel the world and retire and Santana decided to stay…”

Kim sat down on a stool and placed a hand over her stomach.

“Walter, I think you should go…”, Kim whispered.

“Are you going to be okay?”, he asked.

Kim nodded.

“I have to clean up the dough…I’ll be right again in a moment…just need a minute to myself if you don’t mind…”, she replied, streaking flour through her hair as she ran her fingers through it.

  Walter nodded.

“No problem…I’ll see you at lunch then…”, he said and left the kitchen.

She would be just fine and Walter was sure that Santana would come around. All they needed was the proper moment.

Walter walked outside and Diana scolded him for his tardiness and made him do push-ups as punishment, but soon he was hitting all his targets, even the hidden ones, and to finish off his practice, he mentally entered his satisfaction report into Ralph’s tablet, causing his protégé to jump back in surprise.

“Didn’t mean to startle you…”, Walter said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder and crouching down so that he was at eye level, “Are you okay?”

Ralph nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine…I mean, I knew you could do stuff like that, I’ve just never seen you do it in person, so it just shocked me, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll give you a heads up next time.”, Walter replied and stood.

“Appreciate it. Check out the worksheets for this week, they’re really coming together nicely.”

Walter and Ralph got lost in the numbers for a minute and didn’t even notice that Paige had joined them.

Paige stood by, watching Walter and Ralph interact with each other and smiling softly as her son smiled. Walter had a proud smile on his face as well. He looked at Ralph in a way that expressed such love and care and somehow Paige knew that only a man who considered himself a father could feel that way towards her son. 

“So, how are my boys doing?”, Paige asked, raising her voice and making her presence known.

Ralph was the first to look up.

“We’re doing great— “, he said and then gaped at his mother.

Walter glanced up and his jaw went slack as he discovered a fantasy he never knew he had.

Paige blushed at their reactions and spun around.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Paige, y-you look _stunning_ …”, Walter replied after uselessly opening and closing his mouth a few times like a fish out of water.

“Mom, you look like a superhero.”, Ralph replied, “Like the Black Widow or Jean Grey… I think the seamstress might have used their outfits as a point of reference...”

“Thanks, I guess…I don’t know how Walter would feel about my being the Black Widow though.”, She said with a smirk and a wink in Walter’s direction that made him brace himself against the table and exhale slowly.

 _“Damn it Paige, don’t torture me like this…”_ , he thought to himself.

Paige knew exactly what she was doing to Walter and he could tell from the gleam in her eyes that she was enjoying the way he looked at her. She stood there and let him practically undress her with his eyes until Ralph spoke up again.

Walter heard Ralph talking and he heard him, but nothing was registering to him except Paige.

She was dressed in her black, skin-tight jumpsuit; the zipper in the front was lowered just enough to show the front of her markings and tease a bit of cleavage, her combat boots brought her up about an inch and a half and there were small steel loops scattered across the jumpsuit, no doubt for attaching body armor during training or, if Megan was correct, attaching it in preparation for a fight.

With that though, Walter realized the gravity of the situation at hand and reestablished his grip on the table, not in awe, but in fear.

Paige was, in the eyes of the _Vecchio Ordine_ , a weapon. She was being trained as a weapon against whatever darkness Megan had prophesied about, and that terrified him. The Paige he knew was not a weapon; she was a lover, a protector, and, most importantly, she was Ralph’s mother.

Walter felt bile rise in his throat as he realized that everyone in his coven was being trained as weapons.

They would all be used if the _Vecchio Ordine_ needed them, and ever since Megan’s prophecy, he felt like they were being watched or that someone was reporting their every move to someone else. He didn’t have time to investigate for himself at the moment, but he would try to get as much information as he could after Paige’s training.  

Walter glanced back to Paige and exhaled lightly as she pulled her gloves on and nodded at something that Ralph said.

According to the prophecy, Paige was supposed to sacrifice everything and Walter chastised himself for being so selfish when there could be many lives at stake, but Paige was his mate and he couldn’t see her in danger. If something happened to her and Drew gained custody of Ralph, he didn’t think he could go on alone.

War was a messy affair and ever since the Baghdad bombing, Walter had been strictly opposed to war. Now it felt like he was leading his coven straight into one and there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

Paige noticed the conflicted look on Walter’s face and she frowned, but before she could inquire further, Diana came up on the porch and asked them if they were ready to head down to the pool.

Walter nodded and followed Diana and Ralph down the stairs with Paige by his side.

Walter let himself fall behind and Paige slowed her strides to keep pace with him.

“Are you okay?”, she whispered, hoping Ralph and Diana were out of earshot.

Walter shrugged.

Paige ran one of her hands across his shoulders and Walter shivered as he felt how warm her palm was and recalled the soft sensation of her flames against his skin, a part of him wanting to experience it again.  

“Tell me.”, Paige said.

It wasn’t a question and Walter sighed.

“I’m worried that we’re being used; you, me, Ralph, the whole coven. We’re being trained as weapons for the _Vecchio Ordine_. Ever since Megan made that prophecy, the mood has been different. People’s emotions are different.”, Walter shook his head, “I don’t know, I just feel like something isn’t right.”

He glanced at Paige and her brows were furrowed as if she were deep in thought.

“I think you’re right. Something does feel off but I just can’t put my finger on it…”

Walter lowered his voice so that even Paige had to strain to listen.

“After we’re done here, I’m going to do some digging and I’m going to sweep the place for bugs.”

“I thought you would have done that on the day we got here.”, Paige stated.

“Well,”, Walter sighed, “I was kind of occupied, as you know. I swept later, but Maria and Bruno are always cleaning something.”

“That’s their job.”

“But what if they’re planting bugs?”

Paige gave Walter a weird look.

“You’re acting a little off, Walter… you usually aren’t this paranoid.”

Walter nodded and took Paige by both hands, holding them tightly as he looked into her eyes. Paige could see the worry in his expression and it scared her a little.

“I know, I know, and I’m sorry, Paige, but I’m only acting this way because I don’t want you to be taken from me… I don’t want to see Ralph lose his mother.”, he said, the serious tone breaking and wavering a little as he recalled the sound of Paige screaming in agony, “Please, you need to let me do this.”, he added in a hushed tone.

Paige raised one of her hands to his cheek and Walter relaxed into her soft, warm touch before turning and pressing his lips to her palm through her glove.

“Please let me protect you.”, he murmured, sealing his words with another kiss.

Paige nodded and replied, “Do whatever you need to do. I trust you more than anyone.”

They stood in silence for a moment and Walter’s hands fell to her hips and a small half smile formed on his lips as he admired her jumpsuit, his thumbs running over her beltloops. Paige grinned as Walter leaned in for a kiss.

“Hey, lovebirds, hurry up!”, Diana called back at them, causing them to jump apart abruptly and blush before they continued walking.

“Well, what do you think of it?”, Paige asked after a few moments of silently walking hand in hand with Walter, their fingers intertwined.

“Think of what?”, he asked.

He had been making a mental checklist of everything he needed to do to ensure the safety of his coven; including hacking Diana’s tablet, sweeping for bugs and listening devices (a task that would be much easier with his gifts), and increasing the security on all the team’s devices. Paige’s question confused him and he glanced at her for clarification.

Paige nudged her mate playfully with her shoulder and rolled her eyes.

“What do you think about my jumpsuit, Walter?”, she asked, dropping their hands and walking ahead, swaying her hips as she went.

Walter paused and hummed as he took her in.

Paige glanced back and caught her lower lip between her teeth as she faced him and began walking backwards, her boots crunching on the gravel.

“I think that you are very sexy in your jumpsuit…”, Walter murmured, “If it’s not too bold of me, I’d like to take it off of you later, preferably using my teeth, but I guess we’ll see what happens.”, he shrugged, making Paige blush and laugh lightly.

“Ooh, I like the sound of that, so I’ll let you do it, on two conditions.”, she replied, turning so they were facing the same direction and walking arm in arm with Walter.

“Mm, what are they?”, Walter asked, raising an eyebrow as their footsteps synchronized.

“You let me have my wicked way with you.”

Visions of Paige crawling up his body in her jumpsuit with a saucy grin on her face worked their way into his mind’s eye and he nodded.

“Deal.”, he replied quickly, “And number two?”

“We try a new position…”, Paige replied.

“Any one in particular?”, Walter asked, raising his eyebrows at her inquisitively. He knew of other positions beyond missionary and woman-on-top, but those were the only ones he had ever tried.

Paige smirked like she had a secret.

“Well, it’s a fantasy I’ve been entertaining for some time now and I was going to surprise you, but I think that I’ll tell you now so that you have something to look forward to later…”, Paige lowered her voice and whispered into his ear, “I’ve always really liked the countertop and mirror in our bathroom back at the garage and the ones here are marvelous… I’ve wondered what it would feel like to get bent over the bathroom countertop and watch you take me from behind for months...I’ve never tried it doggy style, but I’ve read that it gives you more opportunities to touch me…”, she all but purred as she pressed a light kiss to the shell of his ear, “And I know how much you like touching me.”

Walter closed his eyes and imagined her in such a position and when he spoke, it came out husky and dark, sending visible shivers through Paige.

“Deal.”, he replied before adding, “I also know how much you like it when I touch you…the way you practically beg when you’re in need of release… every sigh, every whimper, and every moan, they’re all burned into my mind…”

“Do you want to know another benefit of doggy style?”, Paige purred.

Walter leaned into his mate and kissed that sensitive spot below her ear and heard her soft sigh before whispering, “Do tell.”

Paige inhaled shakily as she replied.

 “It opens me up better…You’ll be able to go so deep within me that we’ll practically become one…I’m always telling you to go deeper, now you’ll finally be able to fulfill my requests…Won’t that be nice?”

“Mmm yes.”, Walter replied and took Paige’s silence as an opportunity to keep talking, “And I like the thought of using the mirror, that way you’ll be able to see what you do to me, see how amazing you look whenever you’re being kept on the edge… I’ve always wondered what we look like when we come undone…”, he all but growled.

Paige felt herself go weak in the knees as she let Walter’s words paint a picture and she had half a mind to run back up to the villa and barricade herself in the suite with Walter if he kept talking dirty to her, and just before she was about to reply with, _“I want you inside of me.”_ , Diana cut them off again.

“Are you guys coming or not?!”, Diana yelled, “Surely this conversation can wait until we’re done!”

Walter gave her the thumbs up as he whispered, “I’ll be looking forward to later.”, to Paige before stealing a kiss when Diana and Ralph had their backs to them again. Walter walked ahead a few paces, leaving Paige to fan herself off with her hands as she felt her panties grow wet.

God, if only Walter knew what he was capable of doing to her, it would make him so smug. It didn’t help that she was supposed to ovulate soon and her body was currently riding a wave of hormones and making her ache for him.

 _“Pull yourself together, Paige, you’ve got to focus on your gifts now.”_ , she thought to herself and shook her head.   

Soon they all arrived at the pool house and walked through it to get to the pool. The house itself wasn’t as furnished as the villa was but it wasn’t as tiny as the cottage either. It had a kitchen and dining area, a den where you could watch TV or movies, a locker room with private changing areas, a sauna, and a bathroom like any other pool bathroom; a line of shower cubicles on one wall, a line of toilet cubicles on the other, and sinks along the third wall but there was a set of frosted glass doors just as you entered and beyond them was a ambiently lit spa room with a large hot tub in the middle of the floor and several comfy looking chaises with plush towels draped over them.

Paige felt the tension in her shoulders lessen as she imagined spending an hour or two on her own to relax after she let her powers out.

Diana led them out to the main pool through a set of sliding doors at the other end of the bathroom and Walter and Paige took in their surroundings in awe; Walter was wondering just how much money the _Vecchio Ordine_ actually got from the benefactors to be able to afford all of this while Paige took in the meticulously crafted mosaic that lined the interior of the pool as well as the landscaping.

“I can see why Happy and Toby spend so much time down here.”, Walter mused aloud, “It seems really relaxing.”

Since their arrival, Walter and Paige hadn’t gone swimming but Ralph and the Guthridge boys had gone swimming earlier in the week and Diana had been their lifeguard. Paige and Walter would have loved to join them, but that had been the day that they were invited to dinner at Richard Elia’s villa.

“Oh, I would have much rather spent the evening here than at Elia’s villa…”, Paige murmured and Walter nodded in agreement. 

Diana sighed and then clapped her hands before facing them.

“Okay, Ralph, set up at the far end of the patio and take the fire extinguisher with you, just in case. Everyone give their phones to Ralph for safekeeping. Walter, you grab the hose from the pump house and bring it over to the opposite end of the pool, I’ll grab the one from the pool house. Paige, I assume you can swim?”

Paige nodded as she handed her phone and necklace to her son, Walter and Diana following suit.

“I took lessons as a child and I got to be quite good at it.”, she replied.

“Good. Go stand at the pool’s edge by the deep end.”, Diana instructed and Paige obeyed with a nod.

Walter looked around the pool and the surrounding pergolas, admiring their structure and the plants growing on them but he frowned when he picked out a few security cameras aimed right at the pool. If Paige proved to have a very powerful gift, the last thing he wanted was for someone to see the video and try to use Paige for their own gains.

Walter focused on the currents in each of the cameras and was about to force them to short-circuit when he glanced over at Ralph, who was happily typing away on Diana’s tablet. He could send a message to the tablet and Ralph could hack the feeds easily and prevent other people from viewing it, that way the damage couldn’t be traced back to him and if someone went looking for the person that interrupted the feeds, they would hit a dead end, especially if Ralph did what Walter taught him and made the signal and IP address virtually untraceable.

Walter sent the thought to the tablet, startling Ralph a little and making the fledgling glance at him with a questioning look in his eyes. Walter gave his protégé the slightest nod to show that it was okay to do this and Ralph went to work.

Walter reached out a moment later and couldn’t detect anything from the cameras and turned to Ralph as the boy nodded minutely, signaling to him that the job had been done.

Walter glanced at Paige and Diana carefully and relaxed a little when he saw that both women were unaware of the exchange that had taken place.

Diana approached Paige with her hose and Walter mirrored her actions, keeping his distance more than Diana did. He knew what sort of power Paige possessed and had experienced it firsthand whereas Diana just saw her power at its full capacity. She had no clue how strong Paige really was at this stage in the game and assumed that she was weaker.

“Okay, Paige, I want you to tell me what you feel. Close your eyes and focus on anything that feels like fire.”

“Uh, okay, but I could just ignite instead of talking about my feelings…that seems like it would be the more efficient thing to do…”, Paige replied with a shrug but closed her eyes anyway, “Besides, I’ve been keeping it in for so long that I feel like I might burst, so if I could just let it all out, I’d appreciate it.”

Walter smirked. It was surprising to see his traits emerge in her but it was always interesting to see them in the rare moments when they did.

Diana glanced at Walter, almost to ask him if it was a good idea to let Paige release the fire and he nodded, worried that Paige would combust or wear herself out if she didn’t.

“Very well. Do what you are able to do.”, Diana replied and mirrored Walter as he backed away from Paige.

Paige turned so she was facing the pool, put her head down and looked at her hands, feeling the heat surging within her as it had earlier. She sighed and willed her palms to heat without igniting and then she felt her hair rise as she forced the heat away from herself.

Paige inhaled shakily as she tried to keep herself from simply igniting all at once. She didn’t want to frighten Ralph or make Diana think that she was unstable.

 _“But you aren’t unstable. Dangerous, maybe, but not unstable. Look how well you’ve controlled yourself so far. It hasn’t been easy, but you did it anyway.”_ , she thought to herself as she closed her eyes and felt her spine straightening, pulling her up to her full height.

Ralph was sitting on the edge of his seat as he stared at his mother, how her hair fanned out and then he gasped when she opened her eyes and her markings began burning blue through the material of her jumpsuit without compromising its integrity, the designs swirling over her shoulders and onto her back as her eyes glowed brightly.

Paige could see the worried expression on Ralph’s face and sent a reassuring smile in his direction to let him know that she was okay, an act which made her son visibly relax.

Walter gazed at her as she blinked slowly and sighed as her markings on her back began to lift away from her body at her shoulder blades, hover about an inch from her body and elongate, forming two large, golden flaming wings. Paige reminded him of an angel with the way her wings were folded neatly against her. Her chest markings crept up her neck and formed what looked like a protective collar around her throat.

Paige exhaled as she felt the flames lifting away from her body and felt a tickling sensation on her scalp, not realizing that her hair itself was now turning into a glowing inferno.

Diana watched with bated breath as she realized that Paige had the most graceful emergence of gifts that she had ever seen in her time as a trainer. Steam was rising from Paige’s feet and the finer details of her jumpsuit were obscured by the heat mirage, making visibility more difficult, but Diana couldn’t keep her encouragement at bay any longer.

“Paige. You are doing so well.”, Diana murmured.

Paige looked to the side and saw her light reflected in Walter’s eyes along with love and adoration and then her golden glow began to turn blue as her temperature rose. Walter was doing this to her and she smiled and let herself burn.

Walter could feel his gifts responding to hers as they had earlier, after all, they were bonded mates, it only made sense for their powers, which had been given to each of them during the height of their shared euphoria, to be connected as well.

Diana’s eyes darted towards Walter and saw the static glow at his fingertips as he placed the hose on the ground and began to step closer to Paige.

“Walter!”, Diana called urgently, “Walter, what are you doing? Fire can hurt you faster than it can a normal!”

Paige glanced at Diana and shushed her softly, her voice taking on an airy, ethereal tone that made chills roll down Diana’s spine.

“I won’t hurt him. He is my mate and I am his.”

“She is my mate and I am hers. I trust her.”, Walter murmured in a similar tone, not really aware that he was speaking.

Diana shook her head in disbelief.

If gifts could speak, she would have said that she had just heard them.

Ralph stared at his mother and Walter, mesmerized by the way they responded to each other. He had seen Walter’s gifts numerous times, but this was his first time seeing his mother really become more than the person he was used to seeing every day.

If Ralph were being honest, he always thought that his mother was a beautiful person and now he was more certain of that truth than he had ever been; many people had told her that she was physically attractive (although some of the people who said it to her, usually men they passed while walking down the street or through a mall, were less than friendly about it, especially when his mom had pretended not to hear them), Walter had told Ralph that his mother had a kind heart, and the rest of their coven absolutely adored Paige for her way with words (without her, their lack of verbal filters would get them into a lot of trouble). Ralph had to agree to all that, but his mother was also strong in ways that only he knew about.

He could remember the way his mother had powered through when Drew left them, when they were homeless for a few nights here and there and he knew that his mom had often fed him when she herself had gone hungry. 

His mother was a good person and if anyone deserved to have incredibly strong powers, it would be her because she could handle them and not let them corrupt her.  

 _“If these are my mother’s gifts, I wonder what mine will be…”_ , Ralph thought, “ _I hope I’m able to exercise the same high level of control and discipline and have the same grace that she does when my gifts come out…I also hope that I’ll be able to trust like Walter can…”_

Unbeknownst to Ralph, Walter had been thinking along similar lines and now he willed himself to trust Paige as he held out his hand and Paige took it.

Walter felt that same soft sensation that he had felt before in their bathroom. Paige felt his energy surge through her with more force as he modified his output to match hers, causing her to smile.

Diana watched in confusion as Walter took Paige’s other hand and said, “I rather like this shirt, so maybe hand holding will have to do for now until I can get some fireproof clothes of my own.”, and Paige nodded.

“I feel so strange…”, Paige whispered, “Oh god, I bet I look really weird and abnormal….”

Walter smiled at the fact that even with the magnitude and potential of her powers, she worried about something as trivial as the way she looked. He searched her face, mesmerized by her beauty even through her dancing flames, her eyes shining like hot embers.

“You are beautiful like this, I hope you know that.”, Walter murmured, “Just look at your reflection in the windows over there. You have wings….”

Paige looked over Walter’s shoulder and gasped as she saw herself burning blue and, when she turned to see her back, she gaped at the two huge flaming wings that were folded neatly, hovering just above her shoulder blades.

“Oh wow…”, she breathed as she raised a hand to her hair and ran her fingers through her flaming strands.

In an instant, her wonder was replaced by fear as she felt her energy building up into a surge and she pushed Walter’s hand away abruptly, the look on his face reflected pain and rejection and it broke her a little, but she knew it was for his own good.

“Paige, what--?”

“No time to explain, just get back, I-I think I’ve kept it in for so long that it’s going to come out…. Go over to where Ralph is.”, she stammered, and when Walter and Diana didn’t budge, she remembered her song could influence people and half yelled/half sang at them, her voice pushing them away like invisible hands, “Hurry up!”

Walter and Diana hastily retreated to where Ralph was and Walter shielded Ralph behind his body.

When Paige was sure they were far enough away from her and, as blackness began creeping into the edges of her vision, she closed her eyes and raised her arms, her wings fanning out in a majestic blend of blue and gold flaming feathers. Paige inhaled deeply and let the fire inside of her build until there was no holding it back and then, as she released it all at once, she leapt off the side of the pool with a loud cry and lost consciousness in midair, succumbing to the darkness.

Paige sent a wave of intense heat radiating from her body and Walter, Ralph, and Diana all recoiled at the sensation and squinted as her flames grew very bright. Walter looked into her light and saw her wings flap three times, making her hover above the water for a split second before disappearing with a pop along with the rest of Paige’s flames and dropping her limp body into the steaming water below her with a large splash, a loud hiss, and a plume of steam.


	17. Mirror, Mirror

Walter was frozen in fear as Paige floated face-down in the water for an instant and then slipped beneath the surface with another hiss and sank like a rock to the bottom, the heavy chainmail and boots pulling her down as she made no move to save herself.

"Paige!", Walter cried, kicking off his shoes in a split second and went to move but Diana held him back.

"Walter, that water will burn you!", she yelled.

" _Did he get off on causing himself physical pain?"_ , Diana thought to herself.

He brushed her hand away and ran towards the other end of the pool.

"But it will drown her!", he yelled before diving into the hot water, ignoring the sting of it on his skin, and swimming down to the bottom where Paige floated, her hair flared out around her head in dark tendrils, obscuring her face like some strange aquatic plant. He gripped Paige around her waist before pulling her into his arms and pushing off the bottom of the pool, only to have his progress impeded by her dead weight. Normally, this would be no problem, but with the weight of the water on top of them combined with her chainmail and combat boots, it made things more difficult than they had to be.

When they didn't surface right away, Diana sighed and looked at Ralph who was visibly shaken.

"Your mother won't drown. Neither will Walter. They're both vampires and fully grown vampires can't drown, but water in the lungs can make us sick for a very long time, understand?", she said, getting down on Ralph's level.

Ralph nodded, still gazing unblinkingly at the water, frozen where he sat.

"I don't want them to be sick either…", he murmured and looked at Diana expectantly.

Diana sighed and took off her shoes and necklace before diving in after Walter and helping him pull Paige to the surface and drag her up onto the side of the pool.

Walter scrambled out of the water and used his American Red Cross training to begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Tense seconds ticked by and Paige never stirred.

"Walter, she won't die from water in the lungs, she'll only get sick…", Diana stated, unsure of whether the genius heard her or not.

Walter heard Diana but didn't respond and continued mouth-to-mouth as Ralph held his mother's cold hand and Diana stood nearby, just in case she was needed.

Walter was in distress and he was about to talk to her, beg her to wake up, when Paige's eyes shot open and she rolled onto her side before coughing up about a half cup of pool water and weakly attempting to lift herself up on shaky arms.

" _Thank you, Paige, for forcing us to get our American Red Cross certifications."_ , Walter thought as he supported her weight while kneeling and then sat down when he saw the wild, terrified look in Paige's eyes before another coughing jag began.

"Paige?", he called softly, running his hands up and down her back in a soothing way as she began to cry, her sobs punctuated by coughing.

"Here,", Diana said as she dragged a deck chaise over to where they were and placed a stack of towels on it.

Walter took one and wrapped it around Paige as her breathing began to even out slightly.

"Wal-", she began before coughing again, her tears leaving red marks on her cheeks, and Walter shushed her gently, pulling her against his body so that she wouldn't have to support herself.

"I'm right here…I've got you…Ralph's here too…he's fine…", Walter said as Paige went limp against his body, silent now that her coughing had died down.

Paige had been conscious from the moment when Walter grabbed her underwater, she just had no control over her body and it scared her. She had lost consciousness when Diana touched her and regained it with Walter's help. Oddly enough, she wasn't shaken now and she shivered as she opened her eyes and looked at Ralph where he knelt nearby.

She reached out to Ralph and Walter beckoned him closer.

Ralph didn't need any more of an invitation. He nearly fell into his mother's arms, curling into her body, not even caring that his dry clothes were now soaked. Walter pulled another towel off the chair and wrapped it around his shoulders before being pulled into the hug by Paige and Ralph.

The sudden closeness surprised him, but he wrapped his arms around them and heard Paige sigh.

"So… how did I do?", Paige asked softly as she looked up at Diana where she sat, wrapped up in her towel.

"You did wonderfully, Paige, but for now, I think that practice is over for you. I'm going to take a shower and change my clothes before moving on with my schedule.", Diana replied as she stood up.

"What about me?", Ralph asked, his voice muffled as he was still cocooned within his mother's and Walter's embrace.

"Well, I'm with Megan next and Toby after her, so there isn't much you can help me with…tell you what, you take the morning off. I'll take the tablet and do the stats and reports for Megan and Toby. Spend time with your mom and dad or do whatever geniuses do for fun. After lunch and the free hour that follows it, we'll meet up again for Happy and Sylvester's trainings. Does that sound good?"

Ralph nodded and thanked her as she walked away, retrieving her belongings as she went.

Paige coughed and Walter and Ralph both pulled back from her as they felt her temperature spike.

"I'm sorry,", she apologized, "I just needed to warm up again…"

"It's fine, you just startled us, that's all.", Walter said and Ralph nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you guys should give me some space, you know, just in case I do reignite…", Paige said and Walter and Ralph gave her the space she needed.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence on the concrete, Paige went to push herself up onto her feet.

Walter got up from his chair and helped Paige to her feet as Ralph held her hand.

"Thank you.", Paige murmured as she lifted her hand away from Ralph and used the towel to wring out her hair before sitting down on one of the deck chairs unassisted and sighing heavily, pulling the towel tighter around herself.

"So what are you going to be doing with your time?", Paige asked Ralph.

"I don't know…", Ralph shrugged.

"We could go on a hunt.", Walter supplied, "Your mother needs to learn how to hunt and so do you.", Walter told his protégé.

Ralph perked up at the thought of hunting, but Paige coughed and shook her head.

"Not today…"

Ralph sighed. He had been looking forward to learning how to hunt.

"Well, I do have some school work I have to complete…I can probably finish it by the time I'm needed again…", he replied, "I'm sorry I won't be able to spend time with you.", Ralph replied.

Paige smiled softly and opened her arms to her son, who gave her another hug as she spoke.

"It's okay. One day, Walter and I will take you hunting and we'll go to museums and do all sorts of family things…I promise."

As Paige spoke, she gazed up at Walter, the look in her eyes urging him to make the same promise.

Walter nodded and sat down on the chaise next to Paige.

"Hey, buddy. I promise I'll teach you all about hunting and then, when the time is right, we'll bring you on one of our trips."

Ralph sighed and looked at his mentor.

"I know, I'm just impatiently waiting for my fangs to come in. It's harder knowing that I am gifted, or that I will be in the future…", Ralph looked at his mother, "I just can't wait to grow up."

Walter glanced at Paige, noticing the flash of hurt that shot across her face. Those were the words that she wasn't ready to hear. Walter knew that her mind was going through milestones and birthdays and so many memories of Ralph that he wished with all his heart that he could have been there to experience with them.

"Ralph, enjoy your childhood…the grown-up world is very messy and unpredictable.", Paige murmured, pulling Ralph to her and closing her eyes.

"Uh, mom? I have to do my homework…", Ralph said after a moment or two of being hugged.

"Okay…", Paige sighed and released him, watching him run over to the gate before racing off to the villa with a brief wave and a "see you at lunch!".

When he was gone, Paige broke down and began to cry, grief radiating from her. Walter pulled her to his chest and rocked her back and forth gently.

"That's it, let it all out…", he murmured, unsure if his words were right or wrong, but saying whatever felt right.

"Walter, my baby is growing up so fast…", Paige sniffled, "I-I knew it would happen eventually, b-but I didn't know it would happen so fast…I didn't want it to happen as quickly as it did…"

"I sort of know what you mean, but we have so many more wonderful things to look forward to in Ralph's lifetime and while I know that I'll never be able to see Ralph take his first steps or hear his first words or see him off to his first day of school, I am so thankful that I'll be able to see Ralph drive for the first time, see his fangs come in and take him on his first hunting trip, see him off to prom and watch him amass his degrees and be there when he changes the world with his gifts and his intellect.", Walter replied and paused to lift Paige's chin and looked into her ruby eyes as she blinked and sent tears tracking down her cheeks, "The best is yet to come."

Paige sniffled and nodded.

"You're right…I'm just worried that one of these days, I'll wake up and Ralph won't want to have anything to do with me…you know how stubborn teenagers can be…"

Walter nodded.

"I should know, I was one…", he muttered, "But that doesn't mean that Ralph will be stubborn and distant. In fact, Ralph might just end up being more of a normal teenager than any of us were…"

"I mean, I'm expecting him to want his space, most teenagers need it to get through life…I know I did…", Paige replied with a shrug, "I just know how most of you were when you were young. Happy left foster care, Toby surrounded himself with his medical training and got addicted to gambling, Sylvester ran away from home, and you cut yourself off from your family and only let Megan in…no offense, but I don't want that for Ralph…", she huffed out a breath, "The problem is, I don't know what I should do to prevent him from distancing himself from me."

"Well,", Walter began, "You just have to always let him know that you're still interested in his life and that you want to be a part of it, no matter how crazy it gets. He's a genius and a fledgling vampire… some people will push him away for no reason other than just being himself."

"I can do that…I've  _been_ doing that ever since the day I gave birth to him.", Paige said, "He's my son. I'd never be disinterested. I'd never push him away and I'd never  _not_ want to be a part of his life, because, for the longest time, his life was my life too…that's not just something you get over or move beyond…"

"But you also need to get used to the fact that it isn't just you and Ralph versus the world anymore, you have me and you have all of us in Scorpion to rely on."

Paige turned to Walter and placed a hand to his chest.

"And you need to get used to the fact that you aren't facing life alone or living for yourself anymore…your sister is alive and well and she's happy, Ralph thinks of you as being more of a father to him than Drew will ever be, and I love you more than words could ever say, which is fine, because I think of love as being a silent act, perpetuated in a million tiny actions every day…."

Walter nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I agree, but it will take time…I also like that phrase, 'love is a silent act'…", he paused before looking into her eyes and smiling softly, brushing her damp hair back from her face and tucking it behind her ear, "I can tell you that I love you an infinite number of times a day and mean it every time, but you feel the love in my actions, not in a great profession to the whole world…", he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

"Mmm, Walter?", Paige replied, breaking away.

"Hmm?", Walter hummed in response.

"The chlorine is starting to make me feel gross…can we go back up to the villa and shower off there?"

Walter nodded in agreement. He too was beginning to feel his hair drying only to become a frizzy, tangled mess instead of his normal curls because of the chlorine.

"I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice…After all, we didn't bring down clothes to change into and I don't like the idea of trudging back in bathrobes and slippers from the spa…", Walter replied, "Are you able to stand on your own, or will you need me to help you?", he asked, getting to his feet and facing Paige.

"Help me up, then we'll see.", she replied and held out her hands to Walter, who took them and pulled her to her feet, her boots making an unpleasant squelching sound when she stood up and walked around.

"I think I'll be fine on my own, but I'm going to have to take my boots off and go barefoot once we get to the villa…they'll need to get soaked and hung up…", she replied as Walter pulled his shoes on and they grabbed their phones before using the back gate to leave the pool area, that way they wouldn't mark up the nice floors in the pool house.

"You can put the rest of your clothes in the regular wash?", Walter asked.

Paige nodded.

"Yup. They have to be soaked first in warm water and then washed on gentle in warm water using only mild detergent when necessary. That goes for all the fireproof clothing. My jumpsuit and boots can be washed but have to be left to air dry because of the metal in them, everything else can be tossed right in the dryer, but I don't know how much they'll shrink…"

They chatted amongst themselves until they got up to the end of the hall that led to their suite in the villa and Walter stopped in his tracks.

"Walter, what's wrong?"

"Nothing,", he whispered, "I'm trying to pick up on any bugs, but since they operate at high frequencies, they're harder to detect."

"Didn't know sound detection was part of your gift.", Paige stated.

"It isn't…that's what makes it difficult…", Walter replied, "I have to listen for the bugs, provided there are any, and then I have to short-out their power sources with carefully timed surges…, he muttered as they entered their suite, "There are security cameras in the main halls and on the grounds and they take audio and visual. I don't mind that, but I don't want AV taken of us or our coven in private or during practices."

"Definitely…Inadvertently shooting a sex scene is not on my bucket list…Oh God, I would die of embarrassment if someone saw that…", Paige replied, blushing furiously before leaning in to Walter and whispering, "Well, unless I did something very naughty that was for your eyes only and I filmed it in secret and gave it to you before you went on a long business trip…That's a different story…"

Walter glanced at Paige, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You'd do that?"

Paige shrugged and smiled coyly.

"Maybe…", she replied sweetly, feeling the rush of her hormones getting stronger.

She had felt them intensify when Walter had kissed her beside the pool and now she felt like she was on the verge. It wasn't enough to create a scent, but it was becoming damn close to it.

Paige wanted to experiment with this first experience, and to do that, she would go into the bathroom or just go across the suite opposite of wherever Walter was and then wait until she felt herself cross the threshold between her normal state and heat. Then she would look to Walter and watch her scent take hold.

Would his voice grow low and husky? Would his eyes darken to a deep red wine color? Would he purr her name as she felt herself being pulled under in a wave of arousal?

The sooner they swept the place, the sooner she could distance herself from Walter and let herself go.

Walter stood in the middle of their room and beckoned her closer.

"Listen, can you hear anything?", he asked.

Paige closed her eyes and listened.

"Nope… nothing."

"I don't feel any alternative energy sources in the room…"

"So I guess it's clean…"

"I guess…", Walter murmured, "Let me check the bathroom, just to be sure….", he said and disappeared.

Paige sighed and laid out some clothes on her chair for when she was finished in the shower and grabbed some hangers. Her plan was to soak and then rinse her jumpsuit, panties, and boots off in the bathtub and hang them up outside to dry, hoping that would be enough to clean them.

"All clear in here.", Walter said, reentering the main room of their suite.

"Oh, good, that means I can get this chlorine off my skin…", Paige said and went to enter the bathroom.

Walter caught her around her waist and she glanced up at him, at the sly smile on his face.

"Ah, I thought I was going to have the privilege of peeling that jumpsuit off of you with my teeth…", he practically hummed.

"What?", she asked, but she wasn't upset, just mildly surprised that Walter would take charge like this.

Walter's facial expression went from sultry to ashamed in a split second.

"I'm sorry, do you not want to anymore? That's fine…I'm sorry I assumed…", Walter said, casting his eyes downward.

Paige shook her head.

"No, Walter, you surprised me with your question…I still want to…"

"Really?"

"Mmhmm.", Paige hummed and nodded.

Walter smiled and then said, "Wait right here, I have to lock the door.", before running off and returning an instant later.

"Okay. Now, where were we?", he asked and Paige grabbed him by the cheeks and pulled him down for a heated kiss, one which he eagerly reciprocated with a moan and a soft, teasing nip to her lower lip.

Walter broke away and began trailing hot, open mouthed kisses down her neck to her cleavage, listening to the soft sounds Paige made when he kissed her in a sensitive spot, and then he pulled away from her a bit before guiding her by her hips over to the bathtub and filling it with warm water until it was half full.

"Where are your boots, love?", he purred into her ear, drawing her closer, his thumbs drawing circles over her hips, teasing her even through a layer of Kevlar.

"By the w-wardrobe. I'll go get them…", she murmured as she went and retrieved them, hurrying back to Walter and tossing them into the tub with a splash along with her socks.

"Good…", he whispered, turning her in his arms so that she faced away from him as he continued to lap and suck on the thin skin of her neck, drawing sighs from Paige, "Now your gloves…", he said, pulling them off of her hands and tossing them one at a time into the water before holding her in his arms.

Paige closed her eyes and melted against Walter as he unhooked and unthreaded her belt before tossing it into the water.

Walter held her for a while, enjoying not only the closeness of their bodies, but the comfortable familiarity of her soft curves against him.

Paige sighed and Walter turned her in his embrace before pressing a loving kiss to her lips that quickly turned heated as she let out a soft moan and her arousal flared.

She could feel herself on the very edge of heat and she couldn't wait to fall. That's all it was now, a waiting game.

Walter kissed and nipped down to her chest again and gazed up at her as he lapped at the V on her chest, making her shiver as he exhaled across it.

Paige's fingers found their way into his hair, still coarse and tangled from the chlorine, but she didn't care.

He bared his fangs before he carefully grasped her zipper in his teeth and began to draw it down her chest, not breaking eye contact except to blink up at her slowly as she began massaging his scalp.

He grinned when he found out that she had decided against wearing a bra but continued down her body, gradually kneeling as he reached the apex of her thighs where the zipper stopped before releasing it and pressing a teasing kiss to the front of her panties.

Paige's heart rate increased.

She had seen Walter grin up at her a few times when his head had been buried between her legs, but there was something almost obscene about her mate on his knees in front of her when she wasn't naked and it made her shiver.

"You going to take this off the rest of the way, or would you rather watch me give you a little striptease?", Paige murmured, her voice husky as she gestured to the rest of her jumpsuit.

"As much as I like being the hands-on type, I think this time I'd rather watch…", Walter replied, taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"Fine, but this is a looking only, no touching kind of show…", she murmured, causing Walter to groan.

"You're trying to torture me, aren't you?", he asked, his hands falling obediently from her hips to rest on his thighs.

"Hmm, maybe just a little…", Paige replied, her tone making Walter's eyes darken as she closed her eyes and switched them to her normal brown color as she flipped her hair back off her shoulders and raised both hands to the collar of her jumpsuit before sliding them down on either side of the already undone zipper.

Paige opened her eyes and Walter gave her a look of mild surprise that was quickly lost when she pulled her arms out of the sleeves and bared herself from the waist up.

She had gone so long with her eyes being their ruby-flecked-with-gold color that he had nearly forgotten that her normal eye color was brown.

"It's hard to do a sexy striptease in wet clothes….", Paige murmured as she awkwardly hopped on one foot as she pulled her left leg up through the jumpsuit before switching feet and repeating the action and with a soft  _'hah'_ , she freed herself and tossed the jumpsuit into the water with a flourish, leaving her clad in only a pair of very non-flattering fireproof panties.

Paige giggled as she said "ta-dah" and Walter laughed too, making Paige laugh some more.

He never understood why it was bad to laugh or giggle during sex or a sexual encounter. He loved to be happy and he loved laughing with Paige; it brought him a lot of joy to see her smile and hear her laugh, and she had confessed that if sex was too serious then it wasn't much fun. Even if she was a vampire now, she was still normal and needed lightheartedness amid all of the hustle and bustle of their lives and, somewhere along the way, Walter had needed that lightheartedness too.

It didn't matter to him if his mate hadn't moved with all the grace befitting a model; Walter didn't want a model, he wanted Paige Dineen with her entire, wonderful personality and her natural beauty.

Paige's bouncing had done something wonderful to her breasts, so he was thankful for her methods of stripping. Her panties may not have been a so-called sexy lace or satin pair, but Walter didn't care about that now, not when Paige was swaying her hips as she walked across the bathroom to the shower, pushing the curtain back and beckoning him closer by crooking her index finger in a come-hither motion before winking and turning her back to Walter as she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and peeled them down before letting them fall to the floor.

Walter stood nearby as she bent down and picked them up before tossing them across the room where they landed in the tub with a splash.

Paige placed her back to the tiles, faced Walter, and grinned, her pale creamy skin standing out in stark contrast to the dark tile and deep red marble, her brown eyes changing slowly to ruby, her canines elongating into fangs.

As she locked eyes with Walter, her breathing grew more labored and, all of a sudden, she felt her temperature rise and then she was falling over the edge and her scent warped into something she didn't recognize.

Walter did recognize it and his body responded immediately.

"Paige…", he groaned as his blood rushed south.

"Is it uninhibited?", she asked quickly before things got too heated, "You have to tell me."

Walter nodded and Paige felt trapped by his darkening eyes.

"I have condoms in my makeup bag…", she murmured, not wanting to become a statistic (again!) if she and Walter had unprotected sex and ended up becoming one of the sets of new mates to make a baby within the first month of being together.

Walter nodded and reached out to her, pulling her close to his body, almost as if they were dancing, gliding his fingertips down her spine just to feel her tremble in his arms.

"I have no intention of making love to you right away…and I  _certainly_  wouldn't do it without protection right now…"

"Oh…", Paige replied, "Then what are you going to do?"

Walter smirked and turned the shower on, not caring at all that his clothes were getting wet again.

"I'm going to get this chlorine washed off.", he murmured, pulling Paige under the warm spray so their chests were touching, "I have a feeling you won't mind this…"

"Not in the least.", she replied as she lifted the hem of his shirt and traced her fingertips over his abdomen, making Walter sigh as her fingers followed the trail of hair down his body, dipping just below the waistband of his shorts before fluttering back up and pushing the hem of his shirt up and over his head, tossing it into the corner.

Walter's lips pressed against hers and their tongues tangled as he struggled out of his shorts and boxer briefs, kicking them into the corner with the shirt.

"Ta-dah.", Walter murmured against Paige's lips when the last of his clothes were gone, causing her to laugh and place her head on his shoulder. The warm water rushed over them and Walter suggested that they should wash off because the chlorine was really starting to irritate his skin and, remembering how he felt about being washed after whatever his crazy ex did to him, Paige turned and washed herself separately and Walter did the same.

"I, uh, I want to wash your hair…", Paige murmured, "If that's okay…", she added, glancing at Walter as he rinsed off.

"As long as I can do yours first.", he said with a smile that made Paige's toes curl and her stomach do a happy flip.

Walter grasped her wrists and tugged her against his body under the spray and kissed her tenderly. Paige smiled against his lips and brushed her thumb over his cheek, just feeling the beginnings of his stubble returning and imagining it brushing the insides of her thighs.

Paige turned and tipped her head back when Walter prompted her to do so and she closed her eyes as he worked the shampoo into a lather. Paige sighed contentedly and smiled as his calloused fingertips massaged her scalp and worked the lather through her long chestnut strands. He carefully rinsed with the detachable showerhead and then slicked her conditioner through her hair.

Paige turned and pressed a soft kiss to Walter's lips.

"Is it still okay if I return the favor?", she asked, "Remember our safeword…"

"Of course…", Walter said before realizing that it would be difficult with him being a bit taller than her. He tried crouching and that made his knees lock, and she tried standing on tiptoe but almost lost her balance.

"Uh, here,", Paige said, flustered, "I'll kneel, you sit…"

Walter obeyed and Paige got his shampoo and began working it into his short curls, giggling when Walter practically purred and went limp as she massaged his scalp.

"You always seem to enjoy it when my fingers are in your hair…", she murmured as she rinsed his hair and watched it form waves as she conditioned it, "You get so relaxed…".

The way Walter gazed at her with such a love-drunk look in his eyes made her heart race.

"My love, your touch will never cease to relax me… as for you playing with my hair, it's one of the most erotic things I've ever experienced.", he whispered and pulled her closer so that she was kneeling on either side of his hips.

"I'm glad I could make you feel this way…", she murmured and Walter nodded, noting that he was at eye level with her breasts and placing a hot, open-mouthed kiss on her left chest, just over her heart, his fangs grazing her skin lightly.

"Walter…mmm what are you –ohhh…", she moaned softly as Walter's lips closed over her left nipple and sucked lightly, his tongue swirling over her tender flesh. He brushed his thumb and forefinger over her right nipple, eliciting more soft, pleased noises from Paige.

Walter released her, kissing the very center of her chest as he tipped her head back so the water could rinse the conditioner from her hair. His fingers gripped her waist and Paige closed her eyes and raised her hands to her head, running her fingers through her hair.

Walter took her right nipple in his mouth and began to suck, making her arch her back as she sighed, her hands resting on his shoulders as she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were very dark, the gold flecks turning almost orange with want and Walter pulled off of her and lifted her to her feet, rising with her.

He quickly rinsed the conditioner from his hair and Paige watched patiently, her entire body humming with arousal as she ran her fingers down the planes of his body, admiring him in all his glory.

"You're always telling me how beautiful I am.", Paige stated.

"Because you are, love.", Walter replied quietly and sincerely.

Paige blushed and shrugged.

"Thanks, but I never tell you how sexy you are.", she replied.

Walter shook his head and turned the shower off; the longer pieces of his hair flopping onto his forehead, forming ringlets as he grinned at her, showing off his dimples.

"Me? Sexy?"

Paige nodded and stepped closer to him.

"Oh yeah…Walter O'Brien, you are the sexiest, smartest, most handsome, caring, and loving vampire or man that I've ever laid eyes on.", she kissed him softly, "There is no one I'd rather have as my mate or as the father of any of my future children…", she added, knowing now how much he wanted to try for a family with her in time.

"Thank you for saying that."

"I mean it."

Silence fell over them until Walter smiled at Paige and said, "I'm going to need a haircut soon…" before shaking his head a bit to demonstrate how his curls came back in force, flopping onto his forehead. Paige shook her head no before reaching out and brushing the strands back off his forehead.

"No. Keep it, at least for a little while…I like it long….", she murmured, running her fingers through his hair.

Walter got a mischievous glint in his eyes and pulled Paige flush against his body and she squeaked adorably at the sudden closeness.

Walter looked her in the eyes and grinned before beginning to kiss down her body, breaking every few words with a kiss, getting lower on her with every word he spoke.

"I think you like me with long hair because you like something to grab when I do this."

On his last word, he pressed Paige's back to the shower wall and hiked one of her legs onto his shoulder, nipping her thigh lightly as he usually did whenever he went down on her.

"Oh my…", Paige said in sultry surprise at the little bite, "ohhh my…", she purred when Walter lapped up her center, her hand falling to his hair as she knew it would and she shivered a little when she felt him grin against her.

As much as she hated the thought of her mate going down on another female, she had to admit that it had been valuable practice for now. As for herself, she had no clue how Walter was enjoying having sex with her when Drew had always told her that she was kind of bad at it.

Paige gasped as Walter's nose hit her clit.

You know what, fuck Drew, he was bad at sex too.

Walter made her feel like a-

" _Goddess."_ , Walter growled, pulling back from her, exhaling across her core and making her jump.

All thoughts fled her mind as she moaned.

His tongue was tracing figure eights over her clit and, oh God, she was practically riding his face, his hours-old stubble brushing at her inner thighs, his nose buried in her neatly groomed thatch of curls, his eyes twinkling up at her as the hand that wasn't grasping his hair for dear life was thumbing her nipple in time with the roll of her hips.

"Ohhh God!", Paige exclaimed when Walter began to finger her G spot, her head falling back against the shower wall as he continued his figure eights, humming against her to add to the sensation.

Her legs felt like Jell-O and they trembled along with the rest of her body as Walter switched his tongue and fingers. She had a spasm and tightened around his tongue, feeling her wetness running out of her.

Paige was panting and shaking now, starting to whine when she wasn't moaning Walter's name.

Walter knew that she was close by the way her fingers tightened in his hair, her toes curled against his back, and the way her juices flowed over his chin with every spasm. He glanced up and noticed that she wasn't touching her breast anymore, her other hand was pressed over her eyes and she looked like she was fighting against her impending orgasm.

"Come for me, love…", Walter commanded and Paige obeyed.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and she practically sobbed his name as she trembled. Stars burst behind her eyes, painting an afterimage on her vision that she couldn't blink away and Walter eased her down, gently rubbing her inner thigh and pressing light kisses to it.

"Easy, love…easy….", Walter soothed, taking one of her hands and rubbing his thumb over the back of it.

Paige inhaled shakily, recovering quickly, and Walter shrugged her leg off of his shoulder. Paige slid down the wall and all but collapsed against him before devouring his lips, rolling her hips against his, making both of them gasp as his cock slipped between her slick folds, his head nudging her clit and accidentally coating it in precum.

"P-Paige, we need to take this out of the shower…", Walter stammered, willing himself to think logically as Paige sighed and rolled her hips again, wishing that she wasn't ovulating because she wanted him inside her so bad.

Walter's mind was moving numbly as Paige tortured him. As much as he wanted to take her like this with nothing between them, Paige would have a greater than 40% chance of conceiving if they had unprotected sex now and, as much as Walter wanted to be a father in the future, he wasn't ready right now, and nor was Paige ready to become a mother again.

He heard his phone ring from the bedroom and ignored it.

He recalled the condoms in Paige's makeup bag through his brain fog.

Paige continued rolling her hips and Walter groaned, his voice dark and husky, "I suggest we grab a condom and you stop rolling your hips before I finish all over your abdomen…".

"I agree.", she murmured in response, making a mental note to give Walter a hand job sometime in the future so she could watch him come, "But I'm afraid my legs are still a bit wobbly at best."

The words barely passed her lips when Walter lifted her into his arms, making her gasp as he carried her out of the shower and into the sunlit bathroom.

"Problem solved."

"But your clothes…", Paige hummed as Walter sat her down on the marble countertop, watching as Paige adjusted herself so she could get the condoms from her bag in the vanity drawer before kissing her neck and making her sigh.

"They're not going anywhere…", Walter replied, brushing his thumbs over her taut nipples, satisfaction rising in him when he heard her breathy exhalation.

Paige slid off the counter and turned her back to Walter as she stood. They locked eyes in the mirror and suddenly, Paige felt very self-conscious.

Being naked with Walter was something she had grown used to, but this was something different.

Seeing herself in his arms while she was aroused and shaking solidified everything they had ever done and that frightened her a little and she covered herself.

"Paige, we don't have to do this if you don't want to.", Walter murmured, keeping his hands on her waist, his voice gentle and low.

"No, I want to…I'm just...oh, I don't know…I've never really looked at myself quite like this…"

"Could you please explain?", Walter asked, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

"I've looked at myself a lot in my life; not many times as a child, then a lot when I started going through puberty and even more when I feared I was pregnant…the day I found out for sure, I stood naked in front of the mirror, hating myself, hating Drew, even hating the embryo growing inside of me. My hatred went away as I began showing and after I gave birth and came home, I stood there in front of the mirror again, nursing Ralph, looking at my stretch marks and at the baby in my arms. Drew never found out about that…I never told him…", Paige replied, "I've never looked at myself after I've had an orgasm or while I was aroused, especially not with someone as important to me as you are…so it's different…"

"But good different, right?", Walter murmured.

Paige nodded.

"Definitely…it's just odd that I'm seeing myself like this when all the other times I was a girl becoming a woman, a pregnant teen, and a new mom a-and now I'm your mate and we're about to make love and-and there's just something very profound about baring your body and soul to someone else and being able to watch you give yourself completely to someone you love and trust that makes it incredibly intimate and a little bit terrifying…", Paige replied, "Does that make sense?"

Walter kissed Paige's shoulder and nodded.

"I understand."

"You do?"

"I do…", Walter replied, moving so that he stood by her side, facing himself as well and pausing, staring at his erection before meeting her eyes in the mirror, "You're right…there is something profound about one viewing themselves like this…but there's also the comfort in knowing that you aren't alone, that baring yourself to another person in this situation is a give and take…", Walter smiled slightly, turning his head to glance at her, "Incredibly intimate and a little bit terrifying, right?"

"Right.", Paige sighed as she uncovered herself and turned to kiss Walter.

Their soft kisses gradually turned heated as Paige began to roll her hips and Walter trailed his hand down her body to the join of her thighs and carefully touched her, making her sigh and gasp, drawing out her pleasure until Paige pulled back from him and faced the mirror, bending over the marble while widening her stance and arching her back.

Walter took her in in awe and she bit her lip.

"Come on Walter…", she whispered, wiggling her ass a little as he grabbed one of the condoms she placed on the countertop, glanced at the words on the ostentatiously pink foil cover, and gave her a look.

"Sex is cleaner with a protected wiener?", he read off the cover, raising an eyebrow at her skeptically.

"And as a bonus, I got them in October, so the condoms themselves are also neon pink…", Paige replied, grinning at the confused look on his face.

"We weren't even together in October…", Walter said and from the other room, his phone rang again.

Paige rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on Walter."

"I'm just curious as to why you got them…", he murmured, ripping open the packet and rolling the bright pink prophylactic over his cock, "It looks ridiculous…".

"If you must know, there was a group giving them out in the lobby of the building where my gynecologist's office is located. When I went for my annual checkup, I grabbed a few on the way out, just in case…", Paige replied and shrugged, "Besides, you won't have to stare at your neon cock because it'll be inside of my pussy."

Walter glanced at her in surprise, never expecting to hear those words come out of her mouth, but getting an odd thrill when they tumbled off her tongue.

Walter got behind her and glanced at her in the mirror, lining up with her entrance.

"Well, I'm glad that you did.", he murmured as he nudged her clit with his head and then slipped into her, watching her face contort in pleasure as he sank all the way inside of her, bottoming out against her cervix on the first stroke and remaining still so she could get used to the new position.

Paige gasped and dropped her head to where her arms were folded on the vanity counter, obscuring her face as she swore.

"Ohhh fuck…", she moaned.

"Good or bad?", Walter asked.

"Good, ah…v-very good…", she replied, lifting her head again and flexing her muscles, urging him onward.

Walter began to slowly piston his hips, knowing that if he wasn't careful with deep penetration he could put her in a great deal of pain.

"Harder…", Paige whispered, her voice growing soft and breathy as she looked up at Walter and saw the careful concentration etched into his features. She found it endearing how gentle he was with her and she felt his hands grip her hips as he began putting more force behind his thrusts, making her breasts sway to the point where her nipples grazed the cool marble.

"Walter, you need to relax…just make love to me…", she murmured at his expression and then she gazed at herself.

She was blushing and starting to shake as he quickened his pace.

Walter nodded and leaned over her, placing a kiss to her shoulder as she bit her lower lip and moaned softly as he began to graze over her G spot, his hand snaking around her to rub his fingertips in circles over her clit.

On his next thrust, Paige told him to go faster, and he obeyed, gripping her as she got tighter around him, making him groan her name.

"Walter… oh… this feels so amazing but…I-I wish I could kiss you…", Paige murmured, gripping the counter as she felt herself getting closer to her orgasm.

"So do I…", he replied, feeling her get close but not even being close himself, which was something that rarely happened.

"A-Are you close?", Paige moaned, almost as if she could read his mind.

"Not really, no…", Walter replied.

"Good…I want to take this to the bed right now...Ah! I-If you're okay with that…"

"More than okay…", Walter replied and pulled out of her before lifting her into his arms and carrying her out to the bedroom.

While it was very hot to have Paige in the doggy style position, it really wasn't all it was cracked up to be for him.

He wanted to kiss her, to hold her in his arms, to cuddle against her soft curves as he made love to her.

Walter tossed her onto the bed where she bounced and squealed with glee.

"Ohhh…perfect, much more comfortable…", Paige purred and stretched as Walter groaned and looked at how she landed. Her head was on a pile of throw pillows, which she pushed away, knocking them onto the floor without care, her legs falling open, parting her intimately.

Walter growled and crawled onto the mattress, slinking slowly towards her on all fours like he was hunting her, his curls flopping onto his forehead as he got on top of her and entered her again, this time leaning down to kiss her properly as she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips, making her whimper his name.

"God, I'm close….", she said, tossing her head back against a pillow.

Just then, Walter's phone began to ring from his side table for a third time and Paige's eyes glinted with annoyance and untold mischief. Before Walter could protest or shut off his phone using his gifts, Paige rolled them so that she was on top and riding him, her breasts bouncing as she winked and reached over, answering the phone.

"Hello, Walter O'Brien's phone, Paige Dineen speaking.", she said in a saccharine voice as she began to grind herself on him and put the call on speaker.

"Hello Miss Dineen, this is Director Merrick calling from the Department of Homeland Security… is Mr. O'Brien there? I need to discuss the terms of his contract with Homeland as well as the abrupt disappearance of my agent, Cabe Gallo..."

Walter's eyes shot open and he shook his head.

Merrick was the absolute last person he wanted to listen as he made love to his mate but Paige was determined to torture him as she mouthed,  _"Safeword?"_ , to him and he shook his head.

"Good.", she murmured softly.

"What was that, Miss Dineen?", Merrick asked.

"Oh, nothing, not a thing, just talking to one of my associates."

Paige placed the phone to the side, glad that the mattress was foam and didn't have any squeaky springs to give away their activities.

"Unfortunately Mr. O’Brien is quite ah… quite busy at the moment.", Paige replied, biting back a gasp and shaking as Walter pressed his thumb and forefinger against her clit, rolling the tender, pink bundle of nerves and sending her closer to the edge.

"Miss Dineen, are you alright? You sound winded.", the director questioned.

"I was just running on the treadmill…."

"I thought you were talking to one of your associates?"

Paige's eyes darted around the room.

"Uh, I am…I'm at the gym w-with my associates…we're gym buddies…"

Walter grinned deviously as he turned the tables on his mate and lifted his hands to her breasts, teasing her nipples.

He groaned as Paige tightened her feminine muscles hard around his cock as turnabout and then Paige leaned forward, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Miss Dineen? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm f-f-fine…oh, God…", she gasped as Walter dropped his hands, grabbed her waist, and thrust up into her body.

"What's happening?", Merrick demanded and Walter couldn't care less if it voided his contract with Homeland, he was about to grab the phone and tell the Director that he was in the middle of having sex with  _his_ Miss Dineen and that he should go fuck himself.

"A guy just hurt himself lifting weights…I have to go, he looks like he may need my help…", Paige lied and Walter groaned louder, grinning through his pleasure, the idea of getting caught in the act turning him on way more than it ever should.

"Well, can I leave a message for Walter?", Merrick asked, sounding irritated.

"Uh,", Paige began but Walter rolled her onto her back and began thrusting into her hard, the sound of skin slapping skin becoming apparent and before Merrick could ask what Paige was really doing, Walter hit the call end button on his phone and used his powers to shut it off, tossing it onto the floor with the throw pillows.

"Why did you do that, love?", Walter asked, though he wasn't angry, not in the slightest.

"Experimentation with the thrill of getting caught?", she offered with a small shrug and a smirk, moaning as he bottomed out and began thumbing her clit again.

"God, I love you.", Walter growled and kissed her hard before driving her over the edge and into oblivion.

She shook and whimpered his name and after a few more erratic thrusts, Walter groaned and finished inside the condom, collapsing off to the side and watching as his mate calmed down, pulling out of her and disposing of the neon pink condom, knotting it up and tossing it into the trash before coming back to Paige as she recovered.

They didn't speak as they came back to reality, the gravity of their situation setting in.

Paige exhaled slowly and swore, covering her face with her hands.

"Oh shit…"

She could have gotten Scorpion's contract revoked with that stunt she pulled.

She was a grown woman, a vampire, and a mother…what sort of example was she setting for her son by playing wild games like this?

"God, I hope I didn't just get us all fired…", Paige said quietly.

"It could be worse…", Walter replied.

"How could this possibly be worse?"

Walter shrugged.

"It could have been Elia; he could have stopped funding our stay and we would be downgraded or evicted. It could have been one of the Morettis; we could all be thrown in jail by the  _Vecchio Ordine_...It could have been Collins; he could have found out that we were mates…"

"All very good points…", Paige said, rolling to face him.

"Who knows,", Walter added, rolling on his side to face her and running his fingertips over Paige's arm, "Maybe he didn't hear it and if he did, maybe we could pass it off as skin hitting a mat or as someone hitting a punching bag…I mean, you told him you were at the gym…Just say the call dropped and be done with it."

"I could, but would he buy it? And how do we explain Cabe's disappearance?", Paige asked as she sat up and stood, cleaning herself off before stepping over the throw pillows to get dressed, "Is Merrick even a vampire? Does he even know about us?"

Walter sighed and stood, retrieving his phone and walking over to his wardrobe and beginning to dress himself.

"He might buy it, I don't know…there are plenty of questionable things that happen at gyms, or so I've heard… Cabe will have to explain his own disappearance, he's done it before and he can do it again…", Walter replied, "As for Merrick being one of us, he's human, but something tells me that he probably knows about vampires, but I'm not sure how."

"I got a bad feeling whenever he came by the garage…like he knew but it was a bad knowledge, you know?"

"Yeah, not much is known about Merrick or his family…he and Assistant Director Molina both keep their private lives out of sight, even from us…if any records exist on those two, you can be sure it's paper copy only, something that couldn't possibly be hacked."

"How did Merrick come to power anyway?", Paige asked as she walked into the bathroom with Walter following her.

Walter retrieved his clothes from the shower stall and brought them to the tub where Paige was wringing out her clothing and hanging it up out on the balcony.

"Well,", Walter began, "Merrick brought in this serial killer or something…some crazy normal with a penchant for blowing up young women with bomb vests…"

"I remember hearing about something like that on the news ages ago…I had no clue Merrick was the guy that stopped him though…"

"Yeah…", Walter said, wringing out his clothes and hanging them up.

"What about Molina?"

"She got credit for making the arrests on most of the Compton Street Clan...", Walter replied, and when Paige looked confused, he elaborated, "Uh, Compton Street Clan or the CSC, for short, was the name of the massive coven slash organized crime syndicate that used to rule the vampire population of South Central LA before the Angeles Coven rose to power and took over the CSC when the daughter of the heads of the Angeles Coven became bonded mates with the only son of the CSC's leader."

"Do you think Molina knew about them being vampires?", Paige asked as she picked up the rest of the condoms off the vanity counter and shoved them back into her makeup bag, not looking at herself in the mirror.

"I don't know… the CSC operated as more of a syndicate than a coven…most of the vampires kept their tendencies well-hidden, so Molina probably figured that they were regular people when she arrested them.", Walter replied, "Oddly though, most of the CSC that wound up in California State Prison were found dead within the next year."

Paige looked up at Walter in surprise.

"How did they die? I thought head and heart had to be separated…I highly doubt people would smuggle in silver stakes and decapitation with a shank doesn't sound likely…"

"Garlic…they were poisoned in solitary confinement and when they went into anaphylactic shock, nobody was around.", Walter replied.

Paige's lips formed a hard line as she hummed.

"Because that's not suspicious at all…", she muttered sarcastically as she walked back into their bedroom with Walter and they remade their bed in silence.

"So, are you excited about the Unification Ball?", Walter asked, trying to break the silence.

"I actually forgot about it until you mentioned it just now. When you left for your practice, Maria talked to me about it…", she replied, "I suppose, I mean, I'm nervous and we don't have formal attire and I have no clue how to act around vampire royalty or whatever, but I'm okay…"

"What did Maria say?", Walter asked.

"She told me that unless you're dying, being changed, being bonded, being hunted, giving birth or helping someone give birth, you're expected to be there if you're invited. It's a huge dishonor if you don't show up. She told me that even Penelope was going to be there and I'm thinking to myself  _'Holy crap, this is a big deal if Penelope isn't allowed to miss it when she's going to be mere weeks away from having twins.'_."

"Was that all?", Walter asked in disbelief, "A woman as far along as her should be resting."

Paige shook her head.

"No, Walter. A woman as far along as her should be avoiding stress and doing some physical activity every day…When I was pregnant, I worked up until a month before Ralph was born and then I still remained active up until the day I went into labor…", Paige replied, "Now I'm worried about what to wear…"

"Don't worry about that…I finished the database for the  _Vecchio Ordine_  and got it up and running, so they should be coming through with our formal wear…", Walter replied.

"Oh, good…", she murmured, flopping down on the loveseat and looking up at the ceiling.

"So, what do you want to do?", Walter asked, sitting down next to her.

Paige sighed.

"Preferably something that doesn't call for another shower…", She replied, looking over at Walter.

"We could always go down to the basement studio and practice our dancing…", Walter suggested.

Paige smiled.

"I'd like that…I'd like that a lot…"

Walter stood with a smile, holding his hand out to Paige.

"Shall we?"

His words reminded him of the time when he escorted her downstairs from the loft from the day when the enforcers arrived at the garage. That day felt like it was ages ago and Paige wondered if her transformation had changed her perception of time.

She took his hand and allowed herself to be escorted, leaning her head against Walter's shoulder as they walked down to the foyer.

Walter pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too…", Paige replied.

Above them, a camera followed their every move.

**_B &W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~_ **

" _I love you."_

" _I love you too…"_

"And I think I'm going to be sick if I have to watch one more minute of this disgusting display of affection…", Collins sneered as he looked at the live feeds from the three monitors surrounding him in the tech room at Elisabetta's townhome near the West Villa, "All I've seen is random thunder and lightning, Sylvester playing catch with some other vampire, and that whore, Paige Dineen strutting around in a skintight jumpsuit near the pool."

"Stop complaining.", Elisabetta snapped, her scarlet painted nails tapping on the mahogany arm of the chaise where she laid with a champagne flute of blood in her other hand, "I got you what I was able to find."

"What you got me is complete and utter bullshit!", Collins yelled back at her, not facing her, "There's no cameras in any of the rooms, just the halls. The external cameras only snap photos when sensors are tripped, and the audio is so shitty that I can't tell what anyone is fucking saying!"

"Then read lips, moron. You're a fucking genius, dazzle me.", Elisabetta hissed, "And where is Andrew today?"

"Practicing…you don't expect a gifted like Drew to just sit on his ass all day, do you?"

"No, of course not…", Elisabetta sipped her blood before replying quietly, "Has he drowned anyone yet?"

"Not that I'm aware of…"

"I'm surprised his gifts didn't become pronounced in California…", she sighed, imagining Drew's gift being used to water crops and make water levels rise, because even if she was evil and she knew it, she needed humans and they needed water.

"California is in the middle of a fucking drought, he was struggling there…I mean, how the hell is someone who is gifted and marked with a raindrop supposed to function in the middle of a drought?", Collins asked before gagging as he watched Walter twirling Paige down the basement hallway to the studio, murmuring something sickeningly romantic to her about Paige being his earth, that he was just a moon that was lucky enough to orbit her before turning in his chair to face Elisabetta.

"Very carefully? You act as if I'd know how to train an elemental, I'm not Diana fucking Mbaekwe!"

She was draped across the chaise and wore nothing but her pendant and a long, sheer robe with a black bralette and a pair of black panties.

"You know, princess, as much as you piss me off, you do have a way of tempting even someone like me…", Collins muttered.

"Ah, Mark…you're a particular brand of insanity that I simply had to have…", She hummed and stood giving him a champagne flute of his own, which he accepted with a slight nod of his head, lifting it to her a bit before taking a sip.

"What is this?", he asked.

"Bengal Tiger's blood…they say it ignites the senses.", she replied before draining her flute and facing him, "So, who will I become today?", she asked, shaking her dark hair to the side.

"Anyone you want…try becoming yourself for once…"

"I'm a shapeshifter…you know I have no true form.", she replied.

"Then make yourself disappear.", he growled and turned back to the monitors.

Elisabetta hissed and left the room, shattering her champagne flute against the wall as she stormed out.

She was counting down the days until the ball.

At least when she became queen, she would have no use for Collins and, when that day came, Collins would have no need for his head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so I just wrote this in record time for all you wonderful readers, so I would REALLY appreciate some nice comments.   
> Seriously, comments are the only payment I receive for my hard work and dedication and it would be great to hear what you all thought.  
> Thanks for reading!


	18. Unity & Discord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience, now I have a word of advice. 
> 
> For those of you who are seeing the word count jump by about 23K, you read right, this chapter is an absolute BEAST with tons of content, so please bookmark the page first so you can take breaks if you need to. I suggest getting yourself a glass of whatever makes you feel good and getting ready to read, but that's just me. 
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to give a huge shout out to WriterFreak001 who has been my sounding board for the better part of this story. She usually knows stuff weeks before I even start the chapter, and I'd like to thank her for her continued support. 
> 
> Please excuse any errors, I do my own proofreading.
> 
> With all that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 

Tucked back in the Italian Alps was a facility that had just been taken over by a quiet uprising.

It had been carefully planned; all members involved had been briefed ad nauseam prior to the takeover, and in the early hours of the morning, just after midnight, the guards and healers, orderlies and anyone else in the building that was not being held captive was quickly changed, without a scream, without a commotion.

Only one person was brave enough to traverse among the living dead; a single orderly in blood-flecked white scrubs.

The halls of the facility were bathed in the eerie light that bare fluorescent tubes provided; that haunting, faintly flickering ambiance making the sole orderly pacing its corridors seem pale and ghostly, the only sound coming from the buzz of the lights and their footsteps.

The guards and other orderlies had been silenced in one fell swoop. Puddles of blood dotted the halls and the newly transformed Strigoi that remained were silent and unmoving, their eyes closed against the bright light and their bodies pressed against the blank concrete walls, but they knew the figure that passed them and didn't dare attack their Moroi.

As the orderly read the names on the doors they passed, their features began to melt away until the vessel returned to what it's owner considered its proper form; that of the heiress Elisabetta.

As she walked along, she came to familiar names, ones she only recognized in books. Names of covens that had long been wiped from existence stared her right in her face.

She was livid.

These were gifted ones who had been deemed too dangerous by her parents, so they had been locked up in solitary confinement cells; sentenced to life alone just because they were more powerful than anyone else.

Then she reached the end of the hall and turned to find a heavy steel door barring in her way.

She smirked and pressed a fingertip to her ear, turning the communicator back on and breaking her radio silence.

"I need door number 18 opened."

Collins didn't respond but the lock buzzed and the door swung open anyway.

Elisabetta continued walking and two of her Strigoi followed her. She paused and motioned them forward so they were walking ahead on either side of her. If there were more employees here, they would be turned in an instant, saving her from having to get her clothes dirtied even more than they already were.

Then she reached the two cells she had been searching for in every facility that she had taken over so far.

Joseph Dineen and Amelia Rosen-Dineen's cells were side by side and Elisabetta's stomach turned as she wondered whether either of them knew that their mate was closer than they thought.

" _They probably haven't seen each other since they were locked up in the 70's…"_ , Elisabetta thought to herself as she read the cards on the cell doors.

They probably didn't even know about their granddaughter.

The only reason why Elisabetta (and her parents) had taken such an interest in Paige Dineen was because she was the heiress of the northern Rosen family and the southern Dineen family who had combined to form the Appalachian Coven. Both ruling families and the coven were practically eradicated years before both of them were born and the Dineen vampire bloodline ended when Amelia and Joseph's only son, Robert, had been born a normal and had been kept from the truth to save his life. Robert had married a normal woman named Veronica Lewis, who later left him, and he had died in the early 2000's. Robert and Veronica's only child had been a normal girl named Paige and she had fallen out of sight and nobody in the _Vecchio Ordine_ bothered to find her again because two generations of normal blood with no halflings usually indicates the end of a vampire's family tree, meaning that the Appalachian coven was no longer a threat.

She wondered if Paige had ever been told about her grandparents before her father died and then she wondered if Amelia and Joseph had ever learned of their son's demise. Did Ralph even know about the storied history of his family?

A wave of sadness washed over her, briefly replacing the anger she had.

She had been pushed aside her whole life, her parents always too busy to care whether or not she was happy, only that she was looked after. All she had ever wanted was a family, but they were too busy destroying covens and tearing lives apart with their greed and insecurities to care.

" _You'd think that after all the trouble they went to when they adopted me they'd at least want to be a part of my life…not some distant figures who put me in seclusion, locking me away like a prisoner in my own home…"_

She shook her head and went back to the task at hand; breaking these vampires out and having them join her side.

There had been rumors and stories about these vampires. Multiple unions had brought two massive east coast American covens together and theirs was the straw that broke the camel's back. From there, Amelia and Joseph had risen through the ranks as the Appalachian Coven grew. There had been rumors of them wanting to break free from the _Vecchio Ordine_ , which is why her parents had stepped in and had killed a lot of vampires to keep them down until none remained to oppose them.

What made things even worse was that Joseph wasn't even gifted, he had only been locked away because he was witty and, according to everything she knew about them, his only power was the power of persuasion and sometimes that could be a dangerous thing too, especially where her parents were concerned.

Amelia, however, was gifted and had been called the Valkyrie by many authors of the books that were written about the American covens. According to those books, Amelia had always been the deciding factor of any fight. Her gift was that of the warrior and, like the Norse myth of the Valkyrie, she decided who lived or who died in a skirmish. Her gifts had been described as 'pure light', after all, the women of the Rosen family were legendary for their gifts of light and Elisabetta wondered if those gifts had skipped a generation and were now lying dormant in Paige, just waiting to be unlocked if she was turned.

"Time to reunite the family.", Elisabetta murmured and rifled through her pockets until she found the keys to their cells.

She unlocked the door of Joseph's cell first and peered in.

"Joseph Dineen?", she called softly into the dimly lit cell, the corners blanketed in shadows.

"I'm here. What do you want?", came a low voice, raspy from years of silence.

"May I come in? I mean no harm. I just want to ask you a few questions and then make you an offer.", she asked, her eyes searching for him.

A tall shadow moved in the corner and then Joseph stepped into the dim light. He was clearly starved, his only food coming in the form of blood, and it showed in the hollows of his cheeks and in his sunken eyes.

"Come in."

"Thank you. Um, I suppose we'll get right to it then- "

"Who are you?", he asked, slinking into the other corner, eyeing the open cell door and avoiding the light.

"Elisabetta Moretti. I- "

"Get out.", he hissed, "Your family put me here. They killed my coven, killed my wife, and probably killed my son too…"

"My adoptive parents were responsible…I hadn't even been born yet, much less adopted, and I am well aware of the crimes that they have committed. This is why I am going to take over and change things."

His red eyes locked onto her and she could see the first rays of hope beginning to fill them.

"How?"

"I have an army of Strigoi on my side."

"So…you're here to change me?"

"Not at all. I'm here to offer you a deal. In exchange for your alliance and assistance, I offer you your freedom, information, and, if you want it, a chance to form your own coven in America, free of my control, but still my ally. All I need is your promise to help me get back at the people who locked you up for about forty years."

"That's all?", He asked.

Elisabetta nodded.

"That's all."

Joseph came into the light, shrinking away from it at first, but extended his hand to her.

"Deal…I know you can never bring my Amelia back to me, but I will help you just to go back to my home, or whatever is left of it…", he replied.

"Ah, but there's the good news," Elisabetta said, shaking his hand, "Amelia is alive."

"Where is she?", Joseph asked, his whole expression and voice changing in an instant and he followed her out of the cell, his long, dark hair falling into his face.

"Right here.", Elisabetta said, pointing to the cell next door and holding up the key to him.

Joseph had tears in his eyes and his hands shook as he took it and fumbled with the lock before finally getting the door open.

"Amelia?", he whispered.

"Joseph? Is-is it really you?", came a soft female voice, one that sounded like she hadn't been locked away and silent for decades.

"It is."

A pale blur with wild red hair crossed the cell and flung itself against Joseph and the second they met, Amelia began to glow, proving that the Rosen women really were gifted with light.

Elisabetta smiled as they embraced and cried tears of joy until Collins spoke into her ear.

" _As lovely as this reunion is, you have the rest of the day to catch them up, right now the building is secure, all the Strigoi are in place and are ready to resume their tasks. You've placed one in control who will run the place and ensure that the rest of the gifted ones here are looked after and properly cared for, so I suggest getting them into the car and leaving before getting any attention from the locals."_

"Got it.", she replied before tapping Amelia on the arm, catching her attention.

"Mrs. Rosen-Dineen, I'm Elisabetta Moretti, I have a plan to overthrow the people who ruined your life but the first part of that is getting you and your mate to safety, so if you would follow me…", she said, motioning towards the hall.

Amelia looked at Joseph as if to confirm that all of what she said was true and he nodded.

"Very well.", she said, "But I have some personal effects I'd like to retrieve first."

" _They're already in the car."_ , Collins said.

"We already have that taken care of.", Elisabetta relayed.

"Even my weapons?", Amelia asked.

" _All in the car."_

"Taken care of.", Elisabetta said, "Now time is of the essence."

Elisabetta waited until they were in the car and driving away to give the weapons to her, one of them being a sword with the word 'Valkyrie' engraved in the pommel.

Amelia frowned as she ran her thumb over the engraved letters.

"What's wrong, sunshine?", Joseph asked, using his pet name for her for the first time in years, the calm familiarity of the name making Amelia smile a little.

"I'm not her anymore…", Amelia murmured, "I'm not the Valkyrie and my light gifts have faded significantly…Can I get rid of this? I mean, is there anyone in my family left to pass this on to?", she asked.

"As a matter of fact, there is.", Elisabetta said thoughtfully.

"Who? All my sisters were killed when your parents decided they were a threat…", Amelia asked.

"Robert…", Elisabetta began.

"Is he alive?", Joseph asked, cutting her off.

"I'm afraid not, he passed away about fourteen years ago, but he had a daughter named Paige.", she replied.

"Is she gifted?", Amelia asked, "Does she have the light?"

"Paige's state of being is unclear, but she has a son named Ralph and, according to his father, he's a born fledgling."

"So, Paige has a mate?", Joseph asked, "What's his name?"

Elisabetta shook her head before explaining the lack of a relationship between Drew and Paige and how Drew didn't want to be in Ralph's life. Then she told them about the Scorpion coven and their current implication with the _Vecchio Ordine_.

Joseph let out a low whistle and muttered something that sounded like "complicated situation".

"So, let me get this straight,", Amelia began, "you don't know if Paige is a vampire, but she and Ralph are members of a coven of geniuses from Los Angeles who are being protected here in Italy by your parents from a vampire in your employ named Mark Collins who wants to kill all of them because Walter did something to him a while ago? You don't have any reasons why Scorpion would want to join your movement?"

Elisabetta shrugged.

"Besides freeing the two of you, I also have Drew in my employ and a lot of nasty things to say about my parents that could sway their loyalty.", she replied and Amelia shook her head.

"That's not good enough. Paige has never met us, she has probably only heard of us through her father and he probably only told her that we died before she was born. If Drew left Paige and said he wanted nothing to do with Ralph, having him on your side won't sway her any, she's probably bitter towards him…besides, you said she was dating Scorpion's leader, right? So why would she care about her ex?", Amelia replied, "No, if you want to get this Scorpion coven on your side to overthrow your parents so you can rule, you got to go big on this. And the uprising is going to happen at the Unification Ball?"

"Yeah, basically.", Elisabetta replied.

Amelia and Joseph shared a look and laughed.

"Honey, you're gonna need a lot more than some Strigoi and whatever you have planned for that to go over well. How are you managing to get eyes everywhere?", Amelia asked.

"It's easy to get eyes in places that are hard to reach when you can change people and see through their eyes or, better yet, become the eyes.", Elisabetta replied and shapeshifted into a better dressed version of Amelia, silencing the pair immediately.

"Oh. Yeah, that'll help a lot…", Joseph murmured as she shifted back.

Amelia was silent until she nodded.

"We'll see what we can do and from the looks of things, you're going to need all the help you can get."

"I agree.", Joseph added.

Elisabetta nodded.

"Fine…when we reach my townhouse, you'll want to shower, eat, sleep, and enjoy yourselves. That's fine. My hairdresser is on his way over, he'll do whatever you like and then we'll get you some new clothes and shoes. If we go out in public, you'll have to wear some disguises and use aliases for your safety."

"Understood."

"Anything you'd like to do, any requests for special food?", Elisabetta asked.

"Aside from a shower, a shave, and a haircut, I'd say I'm fine. What about you, sunshine?"

"Can you get the sword to Paige? I-I don't want her to know it was from me…I doubt she even knows about us…", Amelia murmured and handed her sword back to Elisabetta.

"I can make that happen…", she replied, taking the sword from her.

"Thank you."

Silence engulfed them until Joseph spoke up.

"We made a deal. What do you need from us?", he asked.

Elisabetta smiled.

Everything was going according to plan.

**B &W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~**

The next few weeks flew by quickly for the entire Scorpion coven and with each passing day, Walter grew more and more concerned. They hadn't had any word on Collins or Drew since Agent Phipps had told them about the jet, and that had been a while ago. Every time Walter saw Oliver, he'd tell him that there was still no sign of Collins or of Drew but that they wouldn't be giving up the hunt anytime soon.

Paige often voiced her concern about the coven wearing out their welcome and it wasn't that she didn't like being at the Red Villa, it's that Ralph's teachers, counselors, and even the principal had been in touch and they were not pleased about Ralph's absence. Even though her son had been completing the classwork and homework via online submission, he had missed a few standardized tests that his teachers weren't pleased about. Even though Paige had already exercised her right as a parent to opt out of the tests simply because it was unfair to have Ralph score perfectly and raise the group average so that normal students would appear to be lacking in areas where they excelled and it was unfair to force Ralph to go through the investigations and retesting because it was protocol to investigate every perfect score, they were still mad because he was gone.

She confided in Walter one night that she was absolutely terrified of Drew coming back despite the fact that he said that he no longer wanted a role in Ralph's life and using Ralph's school absences, the nature of the jobs that Scorpion took on, as well as the few times she had been late on rent or car payments in the past against her in a custody case. Walter had confessed that losing Ralph was his biggest fear as well, but he didn't think Drew would go back on his word.

No, Walter was terrified of Mark Collins harming Ralph in the same way that he had harmed Walter.

Since the young fledgling was also a genius, Walter was scared of Ralph falling down the Rabbit Hole and, because he was still in his impressionable stages of life, becoming more attached to it than Walter had ever been. He didn't want to lose Ralph to that insanity at such a young age and have to watch as all of his humanity, personality, and character were removed until the only thing left was the sick, controlling, addictive nature that came with the Rabbit Hole.

Neither Walter nor Paige confessed these things to Ralph, but every time Paige gave her son a hug, she lingered just a split second longer and Walter began to replay all his memories that he had made with Ralph, internalizing the childlike wonder and innocence that he feared would soon leave the boy that he had come to know as his son.

As the Unification Ball drew nearer, Walter began noticing changes in his coven.

Megan would steal off to the suite that she and Sylvester shared and she would disappear for hours at a time and nobody knew why.

Walter had pressed Sylvester for answers once and he had shrugged and told the coven leader that he had no clue what was happening because Megan never told him either and Toby had asked him too and got the same response. Toby decided that he was telling the truth and, upon asking Megan, she had changed the subject, so the behaviorist hadn't been able to see if she was lying or being honest. When Toby pressed the topic, Megan told him that it was none of his concern and that she just wanted her privacy, and, since both responses had been honest, Toby still couldn't find the truth of her actions.

Victoria had been called in to see if Megan was under Collins's sway again, but she hadn't found anything amiss.

Megan insisted that she was fine and not doing anything illegal or immoral and that she just wanted time to herself, but that she was glad to see that people cared about her well-being.

Walter trusted his sister and knew that she wouldn't have anything other than the best intentions and, after spending her entire life being under close scrutiny by their parents, her many doctors, and then his coven and Diana, Megan probably just wanted her space. Total privacy was a luxury she had seldom known and secrets were things she had never had, so it only made sense for her to want these things that came with her new lease on life, and, when Walter explained it to Sylvester, he had understood immediately.

Happy and Toby had been spending more time together and there had been many times when Walter had wondered if they were mates and not telling anyone because they wanted to keep it a secret. He had later learned from Toby that they weren't mates, but that they were dating and keeping a low profile because Happy didn't want it out in the open. Toby had also said that, for all the sex jokes he made, he wasn't the type of guy to get turned on so easily by scent alone and that it took a lot for Happy to open up to anyone, so they decided to take things slow and see where they would lead.

Kim and Santana had been getting close over the past few weeks and Walter had learned that Santana had asked Kim to be his date to the ball and that she had accepted.

Walter was happy for them.

He was also happy that Scorpion hadn't been fired from Homeland for the phone sex stunt he and Paige had pulled with Merrick.

After their dance lesson, when they had time to think about what they had done and come up with a clear course of action, Walter had decided to call the director back and apologize.

" _Department of Homeland Security, Director Merrick speaking."_

" _Hey, Merrick, it's Walter O'Brien…uh, Paige told me that you tried to call me earlier when she was at the gym. I'm sorry I didn't return your call sooner."_

" _No, it's fine, O'Brien, I'm just curious as to how she got ahold of your phone and managed to take it to the gym."_

" _Oh, well, I was swimming at the same gym and I didn't want to leave my phone in the locker room, so I left it with her while she worked out, you know how it is."_

" _Miss Dineen did say you were busy at the moment… Anyway, about your contract with Homeland…I called Cabe and he told me that you were working a private job in Rome."_

" _That is correct…it's a really tough job…whenever something with their systems gets fixed, something else goes down."_

" _Let me make some things very clear about this Roman job before someone in finance or legal tells you later; Homeland will not be paying you for this job, nor will we be footing any sort of bill for you.", Merrick replied._

" _Understood sir."_

" _Alright then, O'Brien, I'm sure I'll see you when you return."_

And, just like that, they had their cover story.

In the weeks since Paige had practiced for the first time, the coven learned to dance, Walter and the rest of the team had received their own fireproof jumpsuits (Happy had created her own suit but used the one provided for her as a template), and Walter and Paige also settled into their domestic vampire routines, and, like any new mates, they had their good times and their bad times.

When they had lived together back at the garage, they had fallen into their routines, but those routines were interrupted when they came to the villa and were cooped up for weeks, so Paige and Walter both got impatient and stir crazy at times and, although they had never actually meant anything in their words, they had argued a couple times over the smallest things and then they would go to their separate corners; Paige to the balcony outside their bathroom; Walter to the alcove at the end of their hall. They would cool down and then come back and apologize for whatever was said and then they would discuss things rationally and it made their bond stronger.

In the past weeks, Walter had found that as his EQ increased, his willingness to try new things also increased and that in turn made Paige's willingness increase. Walter was finding that Paige could be very horny and that neither of them were as "vanilla" as they both initially thought they were.

They had experimented with some new sex positions and Walter had to mentally clear his browsing history more than once before letting Ralph use his laptop because he and Paige had been looking up positions from the Kama Sutra online for future reference.

As much as Walter and Paige loved Ralph, they both had to admit that having a very active sex life was much easier when the young fledgling was occupied with other things. Walter had spoken to Cabe about this and the older halfling had laughed and told Walter that he and Paige were still in their honeymoon phase. Cabe told him that having Ralph around would be difficult for them, but that it was all going to be just fine and that if he and Paige ever needed some time alone, all they had to do was ask him and he would watch Ralph for as long as they needed.

Walter was thankful that the older agent had offered, he just didn't know that he would need his help sooner rather than later.

The next night, when Walter and Paige had been feeling bold and were playing a sexy game of truth or dare, Paige had confided in him that she owned a vibrator.

Walter had been surprised because she had told him before that she mainly used two fingers to masturbate and that had usually been enough.

He had asked her about it and she had replied, saying that it had been a prize from a game she won at a bachelorette party she had gone to years ago, that it was sitting in a box in the back of her top closet shelf back at her apartment and that she had always been afraid to use it because she tested it on her thigh once and found that it was too strong for her, but that she might be willing to try it out again now that she was a vampire… just as long as Walter didn't mind watching or, better yet, using it on her.

Walter hadn't been able to reply because Ralph had come up to their suite to ask for Walter's help with something and they had scrambled to get decent before letting him in the room.

That had been a few days ago, and now Walter and Ralph were playing a game online in his room while Paige was out with the rest of the ladies, picking up their gowns and picking out their accessories for the ball, which was in two days.

It was then that Ralph cleared his throat and asked him a question that made Walter want to crawl in a hole.

"Hey dad?"

"Hmm?", Walter replied, raising his eyebrows without looking up from his computer.

"I went to go up to the suite last night to ask you some questions about the ball in person, but I was stopped by Toby, and when I asked why he told me that you and mom were 'getting it on'…what does that mean? Does it have to do with sexual intercourse?", Ralph asked, calm as you please, never taking his eyes off of the screen as he battled Walter's avatar in an online game.

When Walter faltered and Ralph defeated him, the boy looked up at his white-faced mentor.

"Dad?", he asked, growing concerned at the expression on Walter's face.

"H-How do you know about sexual intercourse?", Walter asked, unsure of how to really respond to the question without speaking in the broad technical terms he used whenever he felt nervous.

Ralph shrugged.

"When Toby turned me away, I went to the library in search of answers, after finding Mr. Bruno in there and asking him about the ball, I decided to stay in there and see what types of books they had. The very few titles of books that were in English had been on the vampire body and life as a vampire, so I read them, figuring it wouldn't hurt to learn a thing or two about the subject, seeing as I am one. I focused mainly on the transition from fledgling to adult and puberty and then I got to the section on mates and sexuality and read up about it because I was curious.", Ralph said and then asked, "So, does 'getting it on' refer to intercourse like mates in the traditional sense engage in?"

Walter cleared his throat and nodded, deciding that he wouldn't lie to the boy, especially not after what Drew did to him, but that he would definitely have to tell Toby to watch what he said around Ralph. Even if Paige would rather keep Ralph in the dark to preserve his innocence for just a little while longer, that ship had now sailed and Walter wouldn't keep him in the dark about a topic that was important for him to understand.

"Yes. Uh, 'getting it on' does mean engaging in sexual intercourse.", Walter replied.

"Gross.", Ralph replied, making Walter smile a little as his reaction lightened the mood.

"Well, you asked.", Walter replied and then when Ralph shrugged and grew silent, he decided to press a little bit and asked, "Do you have any questions about anything you read or any questions in general?"

Ralph thought for a moment.

"Yeah, a few, but I don't think mom would want me talking to you about this…", Ralph replied shyly, "I really don't like it when I say things that accidentally hurt her feelings…but, full disclosure, I really didn't want to get the talk from her because I'm only ten and, although she's never discouraged me from talking about it, I get the feeling that she doesn't want to, because I've asked her questions before and she's given me some very watered down responses…I also have a feeling that if I went to her about this, she would have over simplified things or sugarcoated them…she does that sometimes… I trust you though, you know how to explain things on my level and I don't think you'd judge me for asking some odd questions that may or may not be inappropriate for someone my age. I might be young, but I don't think it'll kill me to know things like this, and I don't think I should be in trouble for asking questions about something I practically stumbled upon that I know nothing about. I just don't want to hurt her feelings because I came to you and not her…"

Walter sighed.

For only being ten years old, Ralph was a pro at explaining himself.

Walter leaned forward.

"Ralph, I'll speak to your mother and smooth things out with her later. I'm glad you trust me and I'm sure she'll understand why you wanted to ask me, especially after I explain the logic to her. I won't tell her what we talked about or your specific reasons for coming to me unless I absolutely need to…for example, if you were to tell me that someone abused you, I would have to tell her for your safety, you understand?"

Ralph nodded.

"I understand…and nobody has ever done anything like that to me…"

"Good…now you said you had odd questions?", Walter asked, getting back on the subject as he fought against his natural instinct to actively avoid awkward subjects and situations.

Walter had been trusted enough by Ralph for him to come to him about something as important as this, so he would be damned if he weaseled his way out of this because he didn't feel right, after all, he could tell that Ralph was considerably calmer now than when the conversation had begun.

"Yeah…uh, what's a prophylactic? I read the term a few times and I didn't recognize it, even contextually.", Ralph asked, "I'm sorry if this is one of those inappropriate questions…", he murmured and looked down at his feet.

Walter shook his head.

"No, it's perfectly normal to be curious and you can ask me anything without judgement. If I think you should wait until you're older to know something, I'll tell you, but I don't think I'll have to…."

Walter then answered all of Ralph's questions truthfully, no matter how awkward, and, when Ralph asked about what happened when Walter received the talk, Walter actually told him the rather embarrassing story of how his father had given him the talk and how that talk had involved an ewe and ram because it was the only comparison his father had really been comfortable with using. Ralph had laughed at the story, especially when Walter had asked Cabe about it and got a very in depth discussion because he was a Marine and "Marines aren't scared of the talk" until Walter had asked about the menstrual cycle and Cabe just looked at him with an ashen expression on his face and told him to ask his sister.

"I looked it up first, but I did ask Megan about it after and she made things much clearer."

"Yeah, I read about the menstrual cycle…I feel bad for mom, Aunt Megan, and Happy now…", Ralph replied before growing quiet, "I do have one more question though…"

"What's that?"

"You said that most mates from modern covens usually get married… will you ever marry my mom?", Ralph asked.

Walter sighed.

"I never really thought about it…I don't really see the point in marriage, especially not in a wedding ceremony. A marriage license is just a piece of paper, a legal document, and after the people getting married, a judge or officiant, and two witnesses sign it, they're married. There's no logical need for a symbolic ceremony.", Walter paused and glanced at Ralph, who looked confused, "Uh, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but I thought people who loved each other got married…", Ralph said, reminding Walter once again that, although he was a genius and often spoke with knowledge beyond his years, Ralph was still young, "You still love my mother, right?", Ralph asked, a note of betrayal in his voice, and Walter hurried to clarify.

"Yes, yes, of course I still love her….", Walter took a deep breath and organized his thoughts, "Ralph, I am your mother's mate because I love her and there's so much more to it than that. Even though I see the legal benefits of being married, I fail to see the point of a wedding ceremony. Does that make sense? Uh… people can be in love and not get married and people who aren't in love can get married, depending on the circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"Uh, a lot of people get married to their partner if they become pregnant so that they can be there to help out when the baby comes. Sometimes people who are friends get married for many reasons, like they could both be looking for a companion and nothing more, or one of them could be in need of citizenship…those people don't really have to be in love to have a good partnership… Some people who are in love don't get married because marriage could be illegal between them."

"Like same-sex marriage?", Ralph asked.

"Exactly. In some countries, that's still illegal, so people who love each other and can't get married decide to live together or be civil partners instead."

Ralph nodded.

"But you and my mom love each other and you don't want to get married and the only reason why you won't ask her is that you don't like the symbolism of a ceremony?", Ralph asked incredulously.

"Essentially, but that's beside the point.", Walter replied, though his reasons were beginning to sound childish, even to him.

Ralph cocked his head to the side.

"Then what is the point?"

"I can't just ask your mother to marry me when we've only known each other for less than a year and have been dating for about two months…it's just too soon for that sort of lifelong commitment…", Walter replied.

"True, but isn't being mates a lifelong commitment too?", Ralph asked.

Walter fell silent.

Ralph was right.

"Well, yes, but that's different…"

"How?"

For once in his life, Walter didn't have an answer to a simple question.

"I don't know…it's just more complicated…As mates we live together and share our lives, and yet if your mom still wanted to move out when this was all over, I'd still be pretty okay with that, I understand the need for space…Most married couples stay together and live in the same house because that's just how things are…besides, there is always a legal side to marriage and that doesn't apply to mates unless it's got to do with the coven…do you understand?"

"Okay, I think I understand. To you, being mates is a step below being married but a step above just being in a relationship."

"Exactly.", Walter replied.

"But even if you did only want to marry my mom for the legal benefits, I still think that she would want the symbolism of a wedding…she's still normal, even though she's a vampire now…she still likes normal things like romantic movies and love stories.", he replied, "And I don't think you're being completely honest with yourself about your feelings on marriage. I think that if you ever proposed to my mom and she asked you if you wanted to have a wedding, even a small one, you'd agree to it."

"Did your mother ever tell you about her thoughts or opinions on marriage?", Walter asked, his stubborn pride still preventing him from telling Ralph how accurate his assessment was.

Ralph shook his head.

"Not exactly. I remember asking her about marriage when I was in the second grade and my teacher got married and changed her name. I asked mom what a wedding was and she gave me the EQ definition of marriage as being a bond between two people who love each other very much and want to spend their lives together. She also told me that wedding traditions varied from culture to culture and were often religious and then she showed me videos of all sorts of weddings. I noticed that a lot of western and European brides mentioned dreaming of their wedding days as children and I asked if she did that too and she said yes…", Ralph sighed, "Then I asked why she wasn't married and she told me that Drew didn't want to get married."

Walter could almost hear Paige saying those words with sadness in her voice and a look of heartache in her eyes and, once more, he found himself silently cursing Drew for deeply hurting such a wonderful woman.

"Did you ask her if she ever wanted to get married in the future, not necessarily to Drew, but in general?", Walter asked.

Ralph shook his head.

"I never asked because if she got married, I would have a stepfather. You know my mom; she would do anything for me…if I asked her about it and she thought that it was my way of saying that I wanted to have a father figure in my life, she would have started dating and probably would have found someone, or worse, she would have gone back to Drew. I saw that she was better off and happier on her own than she was with Drew or anyone else, so I never asked. I was perfectly content with it being just mom and I... having someone else around simply wasn't necessary."

"It wouldn't have been efficient to have a third person.", Walter stated, causing Ralph to nod.

"Exactly…But maybe I should ask her now because you're here…", Ralph said sincerely, "I never thought I'd want to have a father until the day I met you."

Walter had to pause for a moment as Ralph's words sunk in.

"Y-You really want me to marry your mother?", Walter asked, feeling like the room was closing in around him and that the air was being forced from his lungs when Ralph nodded.

"More than anything.", Ralph murmured quietly, not looking at Walter, "I guess you could say I'm giving you my blessing, even though the thought of having to give permission to someone like that is archaic..."

He and Paige had barely been together for two and a half months and Ralph wanted him to marry Paige?

This was insane, but the more Walter thought of it, the more he wanted to do it.

Somewhere deep inside of him, he found the thought of hearing a client, hell, even Merrick, call Paige 'Mrs. O'Brien' instead of 'Miss Dineen' (a title which Walter thought was often said with a note of condescension, especially by some of their older, wealthier, and married female clients) to be exceedingly pleasant. Then he thought about Ralph's earlier words and, with the dawning realization of Ralph's motives, Walter replied slowly.

"Let's say I did marry your mother… would you want me to adopt you so that you could legally become my son?"

Ralph's eyes lit up like Christmas had come early and he went to reply to Walter's question, but he was cut off by the sound of Diana entering her room next door.

"Maybe we should stop talking about this…if mom came down and heard us…", Ralph whispered and Walter held up a hand to silence him as he sensed Paige coming nearer.

She was warming herself using her powers, practicing the use of what Diana called her "internal fire", and he felt himself responding.

Ralph seemed to pick up on this and he cleared his throat.

"Dad, what should I do if a girl asks me to dance?", he asked, just loud enough that Paige could hear if she was listening in for them.

"Well, we've all learned how to dance. If you want to dance, accept her invitation, and then lead her out and do exactly what we did in practice."

Ralph nodded.

"But what do I do if I want to ask her?", Ralph asked.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?", Paige called through the door.

"It's open!", Walter and Ralph called in unison.

Paige entered the room with a smile on her face and Ralph's tuxedo in a garment bag.

"How are my boys doing?", Paige asked, closing the door behind her.

"Good, but you were saying you could be of assistance?", Ralph replied.

"Yes. Uh, Walter, would you mind asking me to dance?"

Walter nodded and said, "No problem.", as he stood and approached Paige as she hung Ralph's garment bag in the wardrobe.

When Paige turned, Walter bowed slightly as Bruno and Maria had shown them in class before saying, "Excuse me, may I have this dance?".

Paige nodded and smiled and then took Walter's hand.

"That's what you do…", Paige added and faced Ralph.

"But what if she says no?", Ralph asked.

"Then just say sorry, especially if she looks irritated, and walk away.", Walter replied.

"Or if you wanted to, you could ask her if she'd like to dance with you later and if she says no, just let her be.", Paige added.

"Sounds good.", Ralph said before looking at his watch, "Diana is going to be starting practice soon, so I had better get ready for that."

"Yeah, we need to go get changed… I think Diana wants to see if I can fly today.", Paige murmured, "Should be interesting…see you in a few…"

"Oh, today's the team training. All of us have to get ready and head down to the sandbox… uh, I think the plates for you came in from the West Villa too, they're probably at your spot on the table….", Ralph replied, speaking to his mother directly about the plates.

Paige nodded.

Walter's jumpsuit had come with its armor plates and so had the rest of the teams' suits, but since Paige had the ability to fly, according to Diana, her plates would have to be lightweight but very durable, and that had been a challenge. Each member had plates that favored their abilities and fireproof jumpsuits that had details that played to their advantages; Walter had super conductive plates, Sylvester's suit and plates were heavy duty so that he could better defend the team, Happy had engineered her own suit and it was lighter so that she could quickly transfer the energy needed to inflict pain or draw it away. Megan, Toby, Ralph, and Cabe all had similar suits with about the same features except that Toby had red crosses on his bicep plates with the Greek letter for psi in the center of the cross in white, meaning that he was able to do the work of a healer but his focus was on mental health and Cabe had room on his belt for a gun holster and his badge.

Everyone had a special fireproof hood/mask inside a compartment at the back of their necks that was connected to a heat sensor that Happy had engineered to deploy like an airbag and it would cover their head and face in case Paige lost control. Paige hadn't liked the reason why they were needed but she had understood.

Walter and Paige left and went up to the dining room where a package sat at Paige's spot.

"Guess that's your plates then, huh?", Walter said, trying to lighten the mood. He knew how much Paige wished that her powers were less horrible and destructive so that the team wouldn't have to wear jumpsuits to protect themselves from her.

"I don't like this…", Paige murmured, "We've become less of a family and more like a special forces team…"

"It's for our own good…", Walter began.

"Yes, I know…", Paige huffed in agitation before kicking her foot against the floor lightly, "I know.", she whispered before returning to her normal tone, "I just wish they didn't have to protect themselves from me…"

"Paige, everyone is protected from almost everyone else here. Why do you think there are layers of rubber in everyone's suits and boots? It keeps them grounded and lessens the chances that I accidentally electrocute them. The reason why we have the Kevlar and armor in the first place is so that if Sly ever threw one of us, we wouldn't suffer as badly from the force of impact. No one is really safe from Happy except Sylvester, so we can't protect ourselves from her…"

"I see your point…", Paige murmured, "I'll try not to feel guilty."

"Glad to hear it.", Walter replied before carrying the box for her out of the dining room.

"I'm nervous.", Paige said as they walked.

"About what? Training today or the ball?"

"Both. Nobody but you, Ralph, and Diana has seen me unleash everything…Megan might have seen it in a vision, but I don't know for sure….", she replied as they ascended the stairs to their suite, "I'm also nervous about the ball because Victoria warned me that it may not be safe."

Walter's head whipped around to look at her.

"What do you mean?", he asked as she opened the door to their suite and they entered.

Paige closed the door and locked it.

"She was part of our detail today and she told me that there have been rumors saying that Elisabetta has returned and strange things are happening in the neighborhood around her townhouse… that there have been more pets reported missing and a lot of water coming out of the grates from her courtyard and into the street gutters, but no word on if her courtyard fountain has been malfunctioning…there have also been reports of a man and a woman seen with Elisabetta."

Walter felt sick.

"Is it him? Is it Collins?", he asked.

"It doesn't sound like him or Drew. Victoria said that he was older, tall, skinny, clean shaven, had green eyes, short black hair that was styled, and didn't wear glasses. She also said that his face shape didn't match either of them and that there was a woman on the man's arm that she said looked a little like me, only her hair was red with silver streaks, she wore glasses, and was shorter than me.", Paige replied.

Walter sighed in relief.

"That's good..."

Paige stepped behind her changing screen and said, "What if they aren't connected like we think they are…We already knew that Drew had a connection to Elisabetta, she's the one who changed him…but the connection between Collins and Elisabetta was never mentioned…"

"If Drew is connected to Elisabetta and Collins is connected to Drew, then you can be nearly certain that Collins has used Drew to get to Elisabetta.", Walter replied, undressing and pulling on his own jumpsuit, "Collins is like malignant cancer…he spreads until he's infected every aspect of your life and then he might just kill you, only in this case, he's moving up the social ladder to try and influence someone from the top into doing his bidding.", he muttered, zipping up the front of the suit over his fireproof undershirt and then pulling out the case containing his gloves, boots, utility belt, and armor plates.

"That's morbid.", Paige commented.

"It's accurate.", Walter replied, setting the box down on the chest at the end of their bed before opening it up and pulling on the utility belt; the silver stake in the holster at his hip feeling heavier than usual.

The whole team had been trained in the use of silver stakes and, surprisingly, Megan and Ralph had picked up on it better than anyone else and both of them were especially adept at throwing them at targets.

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his boots on, laced them up and then reached for his shin and ankle plates, locking them over the boots.

Paige zipped her jumpsuit up to her throat and threw her hair into a hasty braid before joining her mate on the bed.

Paige and Walter worked silently to get ready and the only thing that broke the silence was the gasp Paige emitted when she opened the container housing her armor plates and found that they were intricately engraved with the same feathers and flames design found on her body.

"Walter, did you have anything to do with this?", she asked and Walter rose, armored from the waist down.

He shrugged and smiled a little.

"I _might_ have had a word with someone, but since your powers are, as Diana says, unique to you and you alone, they might have wanted to make the distinction known…", he replied before Paige smirked back and took some plates out of the box, placing them on the mattress before pausing and inhaling sharply.

"What, what is it?", Walter asked, coming to her side.

Paige reached into the box and lifted out a sword in a scabbard and she squinted at something engraved on the pommel before her eyes went wide.

"Valkyrie.", she whispered in a voice so soft that Walter barely heard it.

"Valkyrie?", Walter repeated, confused, "What's the importance of that word?"

Paige placed the sword back in the container and stepped back as a wave of nausea rushed through her.

"In Norse mythology, the Valkyrie was a figure who chose who lived and who died in battle…", she paused, "If this sword is any indication of anything, it's that Megan's prophecy was true."

"No, you don't know that…", Walter began, shaking his head, knowing in an instant why she was so afraid.

She had been having nightmares where she would wake up in tears, crying about blood, death, fire, and ashes. Every time that had happened, Walter would wake moments before and try to wake her up. When Paige woke, she would do so with a start, usually sitting up abruptly and flinging the covers off her body before running her hands over herself, chanting, "I'm still here" breathlessly to herself before being taken over by a fresh wave of sobbing. It was then that Walter would sit up, take her hand and pull her close before bringing the soft covers up to her shoulders, wrapping her up in them before embracing her and allowing her to cry into his chest. Walter would then rock her back and forth and kiss her hair, murmuring comforting words to her as he attempted to soothe away whatever demons had plagued her dreams.

It usually worked and Paige would stop crying and then fall limp against his chest, sleep claiming her once more as Walter laid back down with her and kept watch over her so he could wake her should her nightmares start again, thankful that he didn't need quite as much sleep to function as she did.

"No, no… her prophecy…I-It's coming true, and it means that someone expects me to use the power of the phoenix to-to choose who lives and who dies….", Paige staggered back and covered her mouth, sinking to the floor, true horror in her eyes.

Walter followed her to the floor.

"Hey, hey…", he soothed, pulling her against his body, "It's like Megan told us, right? The future isn't necessarily set in stone…this could have been an heirloom passed down from a previous owner who fought in some battle."

"But who would do that?"

"I don't know,", Walter shrugged, "You have any family?"

Paige laughed humorlessly and pulled away from Walter, hugging her own knees to her chest.

"Walter, both sets of my grandparents are dead, both of my parents were the only child. My father died years ago, and my mother has been in and out of prison for as long as I can remember…"

"I thought you said they were always on business trips, that's why you stayed with your grandparents…", Walter replied.

Paige shot him a pained look and Walter's heart sank a little.

"You didn't lie, but you avoided the truth…", Walter murmured.

It wasn't a question.

Paige nodded.

"I'm sorry… You deserve to hear the whole story…"

Walter tried to protest, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but she was already telling him, so he decided to let her finish.

"I really did stay with my grandparents a lot, but not for the reason you think. My mom was a con artist and she was always in and out of prison, so my dad sort of gained custody. When my dad was still alive, he would go away for work a lot and when he came home, he never let me out of his sight and that created a lot of tension…I grew up stifled by him and he wasn't around enough for me to really bond with him, so when he passed away, I kind of went wild. I don't know if it's because I was grieving or if I was glad to have the freedom…looking back on it now, it was probably a mixture of the two...My grandparents took me in until I was old enough to go to college and I used the money my father left me to pay for my first semester at Albright. There, I met Drew and we started dating and, well, you know how that went. I told my grandparents I was expecting and they tried to give me options like giving up the baby for adoption…I told them that Drew and I were going to travel, that he had got a job with a little league team as a pitcher. My grandmother, the kind woman she was, had already seen her only daughter throw her life away and wind up in prison, so she didn't want the same for me. She told me that following Drew wasn't worth throwing away my entire future and I didn't listen to them, like I said, I had been stifled my whole life, so this was just another way for someone to be in control and I didn't want that…."

Paige inhaled and exhaled before continuing.

"My grandfather told me that they would always welcome me with open arms should I ever want to come back to them, but I had made my choice, so I left and I only went back a month before Ralph was born to bury both of them…my grandfather had died of a stroke and my grandmother had died of a massive heart attack in her sleep days later… everyone said that she died of a broken heart… I think she did too. I went back to Albuquerque and Ralph came along…Drew wasn't making nearly enough money, so I sold my grandparent's house. My mother had pawned most of their possessions during the brief time when she was out of prison and she had left the sentimental stuff which I packed away and put into storage where it has remained ever since...I used the money to pay rent and buy the necessities and I put some of it away in the hopes that I would eventually go back to school and I'm glad I did, not because I went back but because it was the only thing that saved Ralph and I when Drew decided to leave us for good without giving us anything to help us get by…"

"Why didn't you hold Drew up for child support?", Walter asked.

"Well, I didn't have the money to open a case and, more importantly, I didn't want CPS coming around and seeing that I was raising Ralph in what they would have called an unstable environment…Ralph would have been taken away from me and Drew wouldn't have gained custody, so Ralph would have gone into the system.", Paige replied.

"You didn't want him taken away because he was the only family you really had left…"

"Precisely…"

"Does Ralph know all of this?", Walter asked quietly, feeling Paige grow cold at the memories, her inner fire being snuffed out by the weight of finally unearthing them.

She shook her head.

"No… I-I was ashamed that I had come from that sort of life. I didn't want Ralph to know that his grandmother was a criminal, that I didn't like my father, or that even before he was born, the people closest to me thought he would ruin my life…I didn't want him to grow up knowing that I had left the only people who had ever truly cared for me over some fantasy life I had with Drew…", she replied, "I hope you aren't mad at me for keeping all that from you…"

"I'm not.", Walter replied, "Just promise me that you'll be honest and upfront with Ralph when the time is right."

Paige nodded.

"I promise…I also promise not to keep stuff like that from you in the future."

Walter shrugged.

"It's all up to you. I don't mind if you have your secrets, all I need is honesty.", he replied, "Besides, you don't know my full story yet…"

A smile flickered briefly on her lips.

"I can do honesty."

Walter leaned over and kissed her head.

"I can also help you get that back armor on…", she murmured.

"I was just about to ask.", Walter replied.

They got the rest of their armor on and Walter watched as Paige unsheathed the sword and laid it on the mattress, securing the belt around her hips and sliding the blade back into its scabbard.

Walter wanted to tell her how oddly natural she looked with the sword in her hands, but refrained when he saw how uneasy she looked when she felt the full weight of it on her hips.

When they left, she paused in the hallway and looked at herself in the mirror.

"It feels so strange to be like this…", she murmured.

Walter came up beside her and adjusted his belt.

"How so?", he asked, flashing back to weeks ago, when he had held her close in front of their bathroom mirror under very different circumstances.

"I was a normal single mom with a quiet son, working as a waitress, and out of all the diners in all of Los Angeles, you and Scorpion came into mine…then I learned my son was a genius and that he was a vampire, hell, that vampires were real…I-I got caught up in your whirlwind of a company and my son just opened up to me and he had never done that before meeting you…", Paige turned to him, "I fell in love with you, and then you turned me and we made it official…now I'm about to use my gifts in front of the team for the first time…."

"And you're nervous?", Walter asked.

Paige huffed quietly.

"Terrified. I have a sinking feeling that I might burn someone."

"That's why we need to practice together, that way you'll feel more comfortable around them."

Paige nodded and turned to face Walter before pulling him into a hug even though their armor made it difficult, but Walter held her close and felt her eyelashes flutter against his cheek as she blinked.

"I know you're scared…", Walter murmured, "I can feel it coming off of you, and I want you to know that, no matter what happens today, I will be with you…If you feel like you're overwhelmed, just reach out to me and I promise that I'll take care of you."

"Thank you.", Paige whispered, kissing him on the cheek as she pulled away and adjusted her armor before reaching out and slipping her hand into Walter's.

They grabbed water bottles on their way out and as they walked down to the practice area, which they had taken to calling the sandbox, and as they held hands, Walter's fingertips brushed over the empty space on Paige's left hand where two rings would normally be found on a married woman. He mulled over the conversation he had had with Ralph earlier.

Walter knew that Paige was the only one for him, that she was his one true love. He knew that he and Paige both wanted to start a family together in a few years, but she had never mentioned marriage to him, not even once, so, he plucked up his courage and decided to ask her what she thought about the topic.

"What are your thoughts on marriage?", he asked as Paige took a sip of water.

Paige coughed and her face went red.

"Why do you ask?", she asked, shaken by his sudden boldness.

Walter shrugged, feeling nervousness creep into his body, fearing that he had overstepped his boundaries.

"Uh, Ralph mentioned something about it to me earlier, I was just curious.", Walter replied. _"Yeah, he practically begged me to propose to you."_ , he thought.

"Oh, uh, it's silly, but I've dreamed of my wedding day since I was a little girl…I-It took away from the sad reality of my parent's marriage falling apart…", Paige replied.

"I'm sorry.", Walter replied, not meaning to reopen the wound so soon.

"No, no, it's fine… You didn't know…", Paige replied, "But I'm surprised Ralph mentioned marriage at all…How did that subject even come up?"

Walter sighed. There were only a few people in this world that he couldn't lie to; Paige, Ralph, and Megan. He had been upfront with Ralph earlier, he was going to be upfront with Paige now.

"Well, Ralph asked me to give him the talk because he read a book on vampire development and mates and he had some questions which I answered."

"You gave him the talk? He's ten and still has his innocence, he shouldn't have heard all that yet.", Paige said, stopping dead in her tracks, her voice turning serious in an instant, "What book did he read? What did you tell him? Why did he go to you instead of me?", she asked, her voice rising in pitch with every question.

Walter held up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down… I didn't mean to upset you…", he replied and Paige glared at him.

"Explain it to me then.", she stated, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

Walter nodded.

"In Ralph's defense, he stumbled upon the information and read all about it on his own, so the whole 'ten years old and still innocent' ship has kind of sailed. In _my_ defense, he did come to me with these questions because he thought you would react this way."

"React how? What do you mean?", Paige asked, scuffing the toe of her boot on the ground, causing pieces of gravel to ping off her shin plate.

Walter sighed. There was no use in trying to spare her feelings, she would still feel the same amount of hurt with or without the added EQ, so he decided not to sugarcoat things.

"He told me that he didn't want to hurt your feelings, but that he felt like you would be hesitant to answer some questions or you would answer them and end up over simplifying or sugarcoating things. No offense, but Ralph came to me because I could speak his language and I wouldn't judge him for asking some awkward questions…", Walter replied, "Now I know you're going to ask me what we talked about, but he wanted to keep it between us and I told him that I would, but just so you know, everything he asked me was age appropriate…I hope that eases your mind a bit…"

Paige set her lips in a tight line and nodded.

"Just a bit…", she replied, "Thank you for being there for him…I realize I can be a little overprotective of Ralph sometimes but he's all I had for so long, so it's only natural for me to feel this way and I'm sure I'll grow out of that as time wears on, but he'll always be my baby…", Paige trailed off nostalgically before blinking and coming back to the topic at hand, "though I'm still not sure how this connects to marriage…"

Butterflies sprang to life in Walter's stomach.

"Uh, about marriage…Ralph brought up something that I mentioned earlier about mates in modern covens who usually end up getting married and he asked me if…", Walter caught Paige's intense, questioning gaze and froze, his brain short-circuiting, causing him to trail off into silence.

"If what?", she asked, prompting him to finish his statement.

"I-If you and-and I would ever, you know, get married…", Walter stammered, feeling his face grow hot.

Paige gasped softly, her cheeks turning pink.

"And what did you tell him?", Paige asked, her voice light and gentle, even though she was nervously awaiting his response.

"I told him that marriage had legal benefits but that having a ceremony just for the sake of symbolism was unnecessary and extra because the marriage license was already signed, thus making it legally binding.", Walter replied.

Paige smirked, not expecting him to say anything less than that.

"And what did Ralph say to that?", she asked.

"He told me I was lying…"

"Were you?", she asked, placing a hand to his cheek.

Walter shot Paige a guilty look and murmured, "Yes.", before taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

Paige nodded.

"Okay then.", she hummed, kissing him on the cheek and walking ahead.

" _Oh shit, I didn't just propose to her, did I?"_ , Walter thought frantically as he watched Paige walk away.

"F-for the record, uh, this-this discussion doesn't count as me asking, does it?", Walter asked as he jogged to catch up to Paige, his armor clanking in the process, "Because, if it did, I'd like to ask for a second chance to ask you again…and-and if it didn't, that's good, because I don't know how to do any of this right and I'd like time to learn…."

Paige paused at his words.

"Uh, I don't think it counted…Why would you need a second chance if it did?", she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Walter sighed in relief and shrugged.

"Because everything we do is unconventional and out of order, and I mean that in the best way possible, but for once, I didn't want it to be that way…I mean, it's technically unconventional already because we're talking about m-my proposal to you and I'm fairly certain that people don't ask their partners about proposals until the event itself,", Walter paused, realizing that he was rambling, "but I want you to know that I would need a second chance to do things right."

"Who said that this wasn't right?", Paige asked.

Walter shrugged again.

"I don't know, I just wanted it to be special and I wanted to be prepared, unlike all the other times.", he replied, immediately wishing he could take back those words.

"Other times?", Paige asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"I-I meant that most of our relationship has been forged through spur-the-moment decisions. The day I asked you to join our team, I was inspired by your bravery and tact and I saw great potential in Ralph, so that's why I wasted no time in coming to offer you the job. Months pass and I grow fond of you and then when I invited you and Ralph to stay with me, I didn't know you'd be moving in for almost a month. We-we kissed and then, less than a week later, we fly off to Rome and I change you and then we mate and become lifelong companions. Days after that, I ask you if you want to have my children and you say yes…now we've been together for two months and I'm asking how you feel about me asking you to marry me someday and it seems all wrong…", Walter replied.

Paige looked like she was about to cry and Walter realized how he made it seem like he was unhappy with their lives so far, his heart sinking. Before Paige could walk away, he grasped her hands.

"I'm happy with what we have, I really am, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, all 900 some odd years of it, but I just want to do one thing that has taken a lot of thought and effort and planning and I want that to be proposing to you and, if you say yes when I ask, I want you to plan that wedding you've always dreamed of having."

Paige sighed and nodded.

"Sorry for jumping to conclusions…I think I'm more emotional than usual because I'm going to be cycling into heat again soon and my body is still not 100% used to that…", she replied, "For the record, I want you to propose in your own time…there's no rush…"

"Thank you.", Walter said and kissed her before taking her hand and continuing down to the sandbox.

"Ah, finally.", Diana said, clapping her hands and getting the rest of the team's attention as Walter and Paige entered the area, "Now we can begin…"

The rest of Scorpion was gathered together in their armor and they lined up so that Diana could do a quick rundown of what was going to happen and to make sure their armor was properly secured.

"Now, let me start by saying that this is a non-lethal combat zone. When I point to a member of the team, they will come forward and demonstrate their powers. From there on, I'll pair you off and you'll spar with someone. This is how you'll learn your weaknesses. Understood?"

Scorpion nodded and there were murmurs of "yes" and "yes ma'am" heard.

Diana nodded.

"Very well. Who would like to go first?"

Happy stepped forward and faced the team.

"Okay, so I'm going to give you all a headache on the count of three, hold it for fifteen seconds, and then take it away…", she said, "Let me know if it's too much and I'll stop. Ready?"

The team nodded, bracing themselves.

"One, two, three.", Happy murmured and then Walter felt a sensation like brain-freeze sitting in the back of his brain and the rest of the team recoiled.

Fifteen seconds passed slowly, but soon they were over and Happy took the pain away before stepping back into the line as the team applauded.

Megan went next, sitting cross legged in the sand and closing her eyes as if meditating before glowing white and hovering before opening her eyes and saying, "Diana can't wait for the ball because a young male vampire named Kyle McAvoy will be there and he's promised to make the night special…He won't let you down, Di…", and then extending her legs so she could land on her feet.

Megan opened her eyes and grinned at Diana, who was blushing a little.

Toby strode forward next and looked at Walter.

"Walter has some secrets that aren't all his…care to share with the class?", the behaviorist teased.

"No.", Walter replied, "Like you said, my secrets aren't all mine to tell."

Toby nodded and looked at Megan.

"Your dress is a long, glittery number, isn't it?", he asked.

"Yes, but please leave it to that…I'd like to have it be a surprise for the ball."

Toby nodded and got back in line.

Cabe went next and proceeded to throw stake after stake into a target board, hitting the bulls-eye even when it was in motion and then Ralph got up and did the same thing, although his aim was off a little, Cabe smiled and told him that it would come in time, making the young genius smile.

Walter stepped forward and put on a light show before turning some sand into glass with a cloud to ground bolt.

Diana was impressed and asked if there was a name for the lightning glass, which was sticking out of the sand and forming an odd treelike shape.

Walter nodded.

"It's called fulgurite and it's very valuable among people who enjoy collecting geological samples, especially if it's in a large piece like this…", he replied, walking over to the fulgurite and reaching out to it.

"Is it fragile?", Diana asked.

Walter barely touched it and, as if to demonstrate its fragility, the fulgurite crumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes.", Diana replied.

Sylvester approached next and forced all the sand away from himself, pushing until he stood on the concrete below and then he pulled it all back into the hole he had made until not a trace of it remained.

Paige had waited until now to show off her gifts and Diana cleared her throat as Paige remained in the line, frozen with fear and self-doubt.

"Paige, you're up… we've trained for this….", she said.

"Is everything alright?", Walter asked, placing his hand on her arm in a reassuring gesture.

"I'm fine.", she replied.

Diana cleared her throat as if to ask her if she was ready.

Paige gulped nervously and nodded before stepping forward.

"Uh, you'll all probably want to clear the box or at least give me a lot of room to get started.", Paige said, burying the toe of her boot in the sand as she attempted to kick at the ground.

"We'll leave when we see a reason to leave…we trust you Dineen, now show us what you've got.", Happy replied.

Paige looked at Walter who nodded.

"Right…", she whispered, holding her hands out in front of her.

Paige tried to focus her powers in her hands, but when she glanced down, all she saw were tiny sparks and little bursts of fire appearing in her palms, hardly what was fitting for someone nicknamed after a firebird.

"Come on…", she muttered, gritting her teeth.

After a few minutes of attempting to light up, Diana huffed and Paige noticed the unimpressed looks on the rest of her teammate's faces, the concern on Walter's face, and the sad, confused look on Ralph's.

"Dineen, stop messing around and ignite already!", Happy yelled, "You're supposed to be the Phoenix, not the broken Bic lighter!", and Paige clenched her jaw before turning to face the mechanic, anger suddenly flaring inside of her and mingling with frustration.

"You know what? I'm trying dammit! Now leave me alone!", Paige snapped, punctuating her last few words and clenching her hands into fists, which ignited instantly.

" _Well it's about time!"_ , Paige thought to herself.

She was no longer worried about scaring her team. Right now, she wanted to show off.

Happy's comment had been like tossing jet fuel on a fire and now she had something to prove.

Paige let out a hiss and opened her palms, her whole body igniting in one smooth rush of flame, her eyes glowing with uninhibited potential.

She felt her wings forming at her back, looked at the shock and pure astonishment on her teammate's faces.

Fear took over and mental images of her teammates burning filled her mind's eye.

"I've got to get out of here.", Paige muttered and looked up at the tree line.

Well, Diana did want to see if she could fly, so why not make the attempt?

Walter knew what she was doing when he saw her look between the sky and the ground and his plea for her to stop died in his throat when Paige got a running start and spread her wings.

Paige was at a full sprint before she felt a strong wind beneath her wings and using a nearby stone bench to vault herself at the right second, she allowed herself to rise and leave the ground, feeling her powerful wings lift her in an inferno of blazing gold.

She could hear the shouts of her teammates and looked down as they grew smaller and smaller, her problems fading with them.

She looked up towards the great blue expanse of the open sky and climbed higher and higher until the air began to grow thinner and soon she allowed herself to hover, before dropping carefully back down to where the oxygen was the most plentiful, allowing it to fuel her fire.

She felt cold although she was ablaze and looked around at the vastness of the countryside, looking down at where the villa was simply a red postage stamp against a swirling, rolling green background.

It felt good to escape for a second.

She looked around at the empty sky, her only company being the clouds. Birds flew below her and stayed away, almost like they knew the sort of power she possessed.

She wasn't even thinking about flying or her fear of heights. Her wings lifted her and supported her reflexively and Paige was surprised at just how easy it came to her. This new development was simply a part of her now and the heights were nothing to her, not when she felt so at home and at ease with herself.

She sighed and looked around at the clouds that floated lazily on by and then she saw the clouds behind her being churned by her powerful wings, disturbing them as they beat out a steady rhythm.

It was then that Paige saw a nearby cloud turn gray and crackle with electricity. She extended her hand and the electricity jumped to her gauntlet, filling her with the same warmth that Walter did whenever he let himself go while she was aflame.

"Walter.", she breathed, knowing that he was reaching out to her.

From the ground, Walter extended his hands to the sky. Paige was merely a golden halo behind a cloud but he could feel her gaze and wanted her to know how proud he was of her. Suddenly, the realization that Paige could leave this villa if she truly wanted to and there was nothing he could do to stop her entered his thoughts and his pride shifted to a plea for her to stay. He knew that she would never abandon Ralph, but his worry was a selfish one. If Ralph proved in time to have the same gifts and abilities as Paige, there would be nothing stopping him from flying off to make his own way and with Ralph gone, Walter feared that his love and adoration alone wouldn't be enough for Paige to stay.

Paige frowned as she felt her mate missing her already, his fear of being abandoned overpowering any other sensation he was transmitting, so she looked down and found the villa and the sandbox and sighed before turning and whispering, "Oh, Walter, I could never leave you.", before pulling her wings close so that she began to plummet through the sky, freefalling back to the man who loved her and the son she adored.

As the ground began getting closer and closer, she heard Walter practically screaming her name in terror.

"PAIGE!", Walter cried as his mate seemed to make no move to save herself from becoming nothing more than scattered remains in sand.

Poor Ralph was frozen in fear where he stood and grabbed Walter's hand, not knowing if he should look away or watch in silent horror as his mother fell, both of them holding on to each other for dear life.

At the last second, Paige opened her wings and glided over the whole team, Walter and Ralph letting out a sigh of relief as Paige let out a whoop and she circled the grounds to slow down and get closer to the ground. She passed Kim and Santana in the vegetable garden, both of them paying her no mind as they were too busy kissing the life out of each other, waved to Bruno as he skimmed the pool, and startled Maria as she hung out laundry on the line.

As she circled back, Paige glanced down at the sword and she grasped the handle and unsheathed it only to be surprised when she saw it glow and then ignite without melting.

She was going to attempt to do what Ralph called a 'superhero landing', just like in the comic books he loved to read and the movies he loved to watch.

" _God, I hope this works out well…"_ , she thought as she came in for her landing, nearing the sandbox once again.

She swooped in and plunged her sword into the sand as she landed in a kneeling position, her head down as she flapped her wings hard enough to beat the sand back. She rose to her feet, still ablaze and looked right at her team before taking a deep breath.

"I am the Phoenix.", She said in an authoritative voice, her brows set in a hard line and her powerful wings flared out behind her as she gripped the pommel of her sword and lifted it from the sand that had turned to glass around it.

She had doubted herself and then her team had doubted her.

That would never happen again.

The whole team gazed in awe and not in fear at her power except for Ralph and Walter.

Ralph grinned as he peered out from behind Walter with a gleeful look in his eyes, saying "you did it" and Walter looked relieved and then his expression changed when they made eye contact and his eyes softened, like he had found something new to adore about her, his love for her present in the soft curve of his smile. She recognized what she had come to affectionately call his 'memorization look' by the way he tilted his head ever so slightly to the side, taking a mental picture of her and filing it away.

Paige shifted, her wings folding down neatly, and Diana stared in amazement before speaking and beginning to applaud her.

"Paige, that was marvelous…absolutely marvelous!", she said and Paige smiled a bit as she extinguished her flames and drew the embers back beneath her skin where they rooted themselves in her chest, this time burning with the pride of her achievement.

Diana told them to take a break and Paige went to the edge of the box to retrieve her water bottle.

Ralph bounded over to his mother and gave her a hug as she knelt down to grab her bottle and she laughed as he gave her an enthusiastic play-by-play of her flight, telling her how awesome her powers were and Walter walked over to the pair as Paige rose.

"Well…," she began, "What did you think?"

Walter smiled and replied, "You know, you gave us all quite the scare when you went into that freefall…", the confidence in his voice unable to mask the concern that he tried so hard to hide.

Ralph went over to where Cabe was and engaged the older man in conversation, leaving Walter and Paige to speak with some degree of privacy.

"I'm sorry, I just felt like I was needed down here, so I decided to come down fast.", Paige said, "I'm kind of new at this so it wasn't the cleanest descent."

Walter leaned in and pecked her cheek softly, whispering, "Please don't scare me like that again.", before drawing back, his eyes reflecting a silent plea that went deeper than his words.

Paige nodded, realizing that she had shaken Walter far worse than she originally realized.

Her mate was getting good at hiding his emotions, but not quite good enough to fool her.

Diana called them back and for the next hour or two, they sparred in pairs. Paige went up against Walter and they both ended up collapsing into the sand because they directed respective jets of fire and bolts of lightning at one another, causing their powers to meet in the middle, forcing them back as they clashed violently.

Happy lost to Sylvester as he forced her pain back onto her and caused her to tap out early but then he lost to Megan who dodged his counterstrikes by looking ahead until he was exhausted. Megan did the same to Cabe and Ralph, beating them in hand-to-hand and stake throwing respectively, but she lost to Toby, who was a second faster than her in anticipating her movements and got his hands on a pressure point through a gap in her armor, causing her to tap out. Paige then learned how to use Valkyrie in a fight because Cabe began teaching her.

"Now kid, I was raised in an Old World style coven… Sword fighting was a way of life in my home coven, a tradition. I would have taught it to my daughter as well, God rest her, but I'm glad I'll be able to teach you.", Cabe said and took a practice sword from the nearby armory shed.

Paige was learning fast, but Cabe still beat her.

When Diana asked why she didn't use her powers on him, Paige shrugged and said, "You know what I can do with my powers, you know how strong they are…I wanted to spar with him, not barbecue him…"

Ralph beat Toby by using his height and his long legs against him. Using a move that Cabe taught him, Ralph charged Toby and then dropped to the ground, sliding on the sand as if he were playing baseball and grabbing the lanky behaviorist by his shin plates as he slid through his legs, tripping him up in the process.

"Ralphy boy, that was a clever move…", Toby said and coughed as Ralph held out his hand to help the shrink off his butt.

Happy chuckled as he got to his feet and then he said, "Hey, what are you laughing at, you're next against me."

Happy rolled her eyes.

"Doc, do I need to remind you what happened the last time I used my gifts on you?"

Toby blanched and quickly shook his head no.

Soon the practice was over and everyone dragged themselves in through the basement entrance of the villa, using the locker rooms to change and shower.

The guys went off to their room and the girls went to theirs, both discovering that Elia had purchased bags for them to put their armor and suits in as well as matching jewel green and gold workout clothes and jackets with tiny scorpions on the left chest with their name on the other chest in gold.

Paige deposited her sword and her armor in her bag and then went over to the industrial sized washer to fill it up so that everyone's sweaty jumpsuits could get cleaned while they were showering and pushed the laundry cart over in just her bra and panties, figuring that it was no different than them seeing her in a bikini.

"Well, at least we have something to change into…no matter how fugly they are…", Happy muttered.

"Fugly? What's that supposed to mean?", Diana asked as she pulled out a similar suit from her gym bag and sat it on the bench. Her workout clothes were red and black and had a jacket with a crest on the front left chest.

"Fucking ugly.", Megan replied as she undressed, not caring really that she was making the others mildly uncomfortable with her being naked.

"Uh, Megan, how the hell does nudity not bother you?", Happy asked, averting her eyes as she pulled a towel around her shoulders and wiggled out of her underwear and Paige mimicked her. Diana didn't bother with the towel but she covered herself so quickly when she was done that it didn't matter.

"I'm sorry, I'll cover up…", Megan said, covering herself with a towel, "but to answer your question, when you've been seen by as many doctors, nurses, and techs as I have, you kind of get used to it…I was sick for a really long time and, well, I never told Walter this, but I had endometriosis as well as MS and both of them started around the same time when I was about ten, so I was always being seen by an OB/GYN just so they could monitor it. I never told Walter this either, but before he got a real job in Los Angeles and before my MS got really bad and I had to use crutches, I would leave the hospital and go to the nearby community college and model for some of their drawing classes to make some money. The stillness gave me good practice for keeping my muscles under control and the professor knew about my conditions, so she would usually have me sitting, lying down, or reclining."

"Megan, that's really interesting.", Paige said, pushing the laundry cart over and starting the washing machine, her towel wrapped firmly around her chest as she started the load and went over to a shower cubicle and closed the curtain, hanging her towel on the hook outside the stall.

"Does Sly know you were a model?", Happy asked as she got into her shower and started the water.

"Yeah, he does, and he's fine with it…I mean, it's not like I've done it in years…", Megan said, starting her shower as well.

"I don't think I could do that.", Diana said from her cubicle, washing off in record time and then leaving less than two minutes later, already dressed and telling the rest of them that she would see them at lunch.

They fell silent until Happy spoke up.

"Uh, Paige? Megan? I know I don't ask deep personal questions like this a lot, but I'm just curious about uh, h-how it is when you experience euphoria…", Happy said, her voice reflecting shyness.

Paige cocked her head and searched for the right words to use.

"Like the mating process? Or what euphoria feels like when it takes hold?", Megan asked. Walter usually shied away from these questions, but Megan dove right in with shameless tact and Paige wondered how two siblings could be more different.

"I'm not a virgin, I know about sex and I know how it feels when it's good and when it sucks… but I don't know if I'm giving the wrong signals or not…", Happy replied.

"How so?", Paige asked, "Like you're aroused and Toby is ignoring it?"

"Yeah, like it's not interesting to him…This is gross and super personal but what did Walter and Sylvester do when it happened with you guys?"

Megan laughed a little and replied.

"Actually, it was sort of funny how it happened with Sly and I… We had just moved my stuff into his spare room and he got me these bed sheets with Super Fun Guy all over them and told me that they were his favorite sheets and he helped me make up the bed with them. When we were finished, and standing at either side of the bed, I just saw how he looked at the sheets, like he had given me something that meant so much to him and then I asked him if he wanted to sleep with me."

"What did he say to that?", Happy asked, clearly amused.

"He got really flustered and thought I was asking if he wanted to have sex with me at first, but I really didn't mean it like that. It wasn't until he mentioned it that he thought I wanted to have sex that it hit me, then it was like a rush, like all my fantasies just flashed in the front of my mind and then suddenly I was on my knees on the bed and I had him by the collar and we were both kissing each other. Then he asked me if I was sure because he had never done this before and I told him that I hadn't either and then it was like a dam broke…the rest is history, but it wasn't frenzied or anything, it was more gentle and reaffirming than anything else…"

"Those were his favorite sheets, did you get blood on them?", Happy blurted.

Megan laughed.

"No, one very common misconception about losing one's virginity is that it has to hurt or you have to bleed, neither of which happened for me.", she replied.

Paige let out a short, sad huff and said, "I wish someone would have told that to Drew before my first time…", and Happy snorted and muttered, "Same, my first time, I got blood all over the cloth bench seat of this guy's car and man, he was pissed…"

There was a brief pause and Megan spoke up.

"So, uh, Paige… how was it with Walter?"

Paige felt her face get hot.

"Uh, it was more like we had set the mood prior to actually doing anything. I had just got out of the shower and I had anticipated something like that happening, so I had lingerie with me. Walter lit some candles and put on some music and then he brought up the wine. And then we just sort of came together…not frenzied…", she replied.

"So, generally it's kind of gentle?", Happy asked, still sounding unsure as she turned off her shower and dried off.

"Yeah. I guess so…" "It was for me, anyway." Paige and Megan replied respectively, ending their showers and drying off.

The mechanic made a noise under her breath.

Happy was already partially dressed when Megan and Paige came over and got dressed in silence, each of them unsure of what to say, especially when it was clear as day that Happy was still upset.

"Why is this bugging you so much? I know you care about Toby…", Megan asked, unable to bear the uncomfortable silence anymore.

"Because I love him.", Happy blurted out, turning to the other two women with tears in her eyes, "I love him so much and I'm so afraid because everyone I've ever loved has left me. My mom died, my dad dumped me at the hospital when I was four, all the foster families I got close to, all of them gave me up…I've been with this coven for so long, I finally have a place where I fit in, a family…but I-I'm scared that if I tell Toby how I feel, he'll leave me too…"

"That won't happen.", Paige replied, sitting down next to her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because this coven is Toby's family too. He won't abandon you because if he did, he'd be abandoning this coven too."

"So, the only thing keeping us together is the coven?", Happy muttered, "Wonderful…"

Megan huffed in agitation.

"Happy, for being as smart as you are, I'm surprised you don't know how much Toby actually feels for you. I see the way he looks at you when you pretend that you aren't watching and I see the way you look at him. Sly told me about Amy, Toby's ex fiancé, how she practically left him at the altar years ago…", Megan said.

"Yeah, what about it?", Happy replied.

"Sylvester told me that Toby went to you when he was heartbroken…For all the jabs you make at each other, you really do like each other, and all of us here just want you to be, well, happy."

Happy gave her a look.

"I know we like each other…I just want more…I want what you and Sylvester have…", she said, nodding to Megan, "And, Paige. I want what you and Walter have…I just don't know how to get it because Toby and I have talked about taking things slow and I agreed with him then, but I'm not so sure if I want slow and steady anymore…"

Megan and Paige looked at each other and Megan's eyes glowed for a second before she nodded in response to a question that Paige hadn't even asked.

"Right, then…Happy, you want to know if you and Toby will get together?"

"Uh, I guess?", Happy replied.

"Well, then, you've come to the right person…"

"What?"

"I'm an oracle, remember?", Megan said.

"You can tell me that Toby and I will be together? You can see my future? I thought this was just stuff that came to you?", Happy asked, confused.

"Yes and no. I can see glimpses, but I've never tried focusing on a person's future specifically…and if I focus too hard, I may end up giving you a prophecy in a riddle form…You also have to remember that the future isn't set in stone…"

Happy sighed.

"Fine, tell me…but if it's something really big, then keep it to yourself…I just want to know if we become mates."

Megan nodded and closed her eyes, floating off the ground as she began to glow.

"Yes. Something is telling me that you will…but I can't see it, hang on, there's something else involved…", Megan replied, knitting her eyebrows together in concentration, "I can't see what it is…meaning that something is being planned and it's not a natural event…Something about the ball…We're all there and then we're having a good time…and then the Morettis give their speech and…nothing…there's nothing after that…not for me, not for you or Paige or any of us…"

"Are we dead?", Happy asked.

"I don't know, I-I've never felt death as a sensation in my visions, so I couldn't tell you…maybe someone crashed the party… or there was a surprise…", Megan replied, touching back down on the floor and opening her eyes, "The one limitation of my gift for now is that I can see mostly natural occurrences, like when Walter struck that topiary with his lightning or when Paige got her powers. Those things were meant to happen. What will happen at the ball is big and it's still being planned and it isn't supposed to happen, which is why I can't see it. It's something that I probably won't be able to see until seconds before it is enacted because I'm not strong enough to see other possibilities yet…"

Happy nodded.

"We have to warn the others.", Paige said, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

They finished the laundry in a hurry and hung their jumpsuits out to dry next to the rest of the jumpsuits and ran up the outside steps to the balcony and into the dining room.

"Listen up guys.", Happy called, rushing through the doors with Paige at her side.

"Megan has something to say to all of us…", Paige added and Megan ran in a split second later.

"What's wrong?", Walter asked.

"I-I tried to look ahead to the ball and when I did, I saw the Morettis give their speech and then my sight goes dark, I can't see the future for any of us…", Megan replied.

Sylvester stiffened in his seat.

"You remember your first prophecy, right. Can you recite it back to us?", Walter asked.

Megan nodded and cleared her throat.

"A fire burns in the heart of the marked one. The shadows lengthen, threatening to eclipse the light. The marked one holds the key, their worthy soul reborn. On the night of the full moon the vengeful will try to seal the fate of us all in secret, but the marked one must give all, even their spirit, to rise against the threat. Sacrifice must be necessary, but if done properly, the fortunate will rise from the ashes and all will be renewed.", Megan recited.

"Okay, you mention something about the night of the full moon, the next full moon is the night of the Unification Ball.", Walter said, and Ralph handed his tablet to his mentor with the pen.

"Thanks.", Walter said before scribbling furiously on the tablet.

"You know,", Bruno began, "This villa's dining room has also served as a meeting room…", he said, striding over to the tapestries that hung on the wall opposite the doors and pulling on a velvet cord, the tapestries parting like curtains, revealing a blackboard.

Maria pulled chalk and an eraser out of the sideboard drawer and threw down a drop cloth to protect the carpets from the dust.

"Now that is genius.", Cabe murmured.

Walter took the chalk and Toby told Megan to recite the prophecy again, which she did, and Walter copied it down.

"Okay, so we all know Paige is the marked one.", Walter began.

"A fire does burn in my heart.", Paige added.

"Diana, do you know of any covens by the name of Shadow?", Ralph asked, "It says that the shadows will lengthen and threaten to eclipse the light. There's no lunar or solar eclipse coming up, and I know that you've told me before that the _Vecchio Ordine_ considers itself the guiding light of the vampire world…"

Diana shook her head.

"No. Shadows are usually associated with the darkest among us…"

"Strigoi?", Happy asked and Diana nodded.

Walter scribbled that on the board.

"Okay the next line says I have the key and that my worthy soul was reborn…I guess that means I'm immune to the Strigoi because I was changed?", Paige added.

"No, nobody is immune to the Strigoi…", Toby quipped, "That's not how they work…"

"But she has the one thing that will destroy them and it flows through her,", Maria added looking to Paige and pointing, conviction in her voice, "You have the fire!"

Paige nodded and the coven murmured in agreement.

"You're right. I do."

"And there's nobody more deserving of that power than my mom.", Ralph added, making Walter smile.

"You're right, buddy.", he said, patting him on the shoulder, neither of them caring that Walter got chalk dust on Ralph's new green jacket.

"Okay, the vengeful, that could be someone who does not like the _Vecchio Ordine_.", Happy stated.

"Or they could hate the Morettis.", Cabe supplied.

"Wait…mom, dad? Do you remember when Zehra and Anthony came and visited us that night after that forest fire case?", Ralph asked, "They said Elisabetta Moretti had a gift and a plan and then the next day, Hazel and Victoria told us that they thought she might be Moroi…Moroi control Strigoi."

Ralph got to his feet and started writing on the board as he spoke.

"What if her plan is to overthrow her parents using Strigoi and my mom is the only one who can stop it? The invitation we got to the ball had Elisabetta's name on it too, and everyone invited has to go or they're being disrespectful, which is silly in my opinion, but either way, she'll be there."

"This is insane. There's no way that Elisabetta could be plotting something like this. Sure, we all know she's got a dark side, but even with Strigoi, she wouldn't have the power to overthrow her parents. She would need the support of some very powerful gifted individuals to do that and its part of my job to make sure that those who would be strong enough to help in a hostile takeover are kept from becoming vampires or are locked up in prisons. I don't like it, but it is a part of staying in power.", Diana stated.

Walter nodded thoughtfully at both of them.

"What sort of security do these prisons have?", Cabe asked.

"Uh, standard stuff; guards, security cameras, orderlies, and a high-tech security system. Why do you ask?"

"Because Drew and Collins haven't been seen in person since the day I was attacked and a Homeland Security agent told us that two men fitting their description were last seen boarding a jet in the dead of night with a woman who sounds like she fits the description of Elisabetta Moretti.", Megan replied.

"Diana, Mark Collins is about as intelligent as I am, not to mention the fact that he has held a grudge against all of us for years and has threatened our safety to the point where we had to come here. He is paranoid and he is clever and whatever systems your prisons have in place, he can hack them… He might even be watching us now, which is why I am shutting down the audio and visual surveillance systems within this house.", Walter replied and snapped his fingers, causing all the cameras to go dark.

Paige spoke up.

"Walter, you remember what you said to me earlier about Collins getting to Elisabetta through Drew? What if that was exactly the plan all along?"

"Explain."

"Well, when we went through Drew's emails at the beginning of this whole debacle, he had emailed two people; EM and Bible Torah. EM is Elisabetta Moretti, Bible Torah is Mark Collins. Drew had been looking for a way back into my life and Ralph's life ever since Regina told him his children would be gifted. What if Mark Collins got to him then and somehow managed to contact Elisabetta by hacking his email account and pretending to be Drew? What if it was Collins's plan to plant that vision of destruction in Megan's head and made Drew say those things to cause us to panic, knowing that Drew would be released after a short time? He knew that Walter would take all the precautions to keep us safe and it was by a sheer stroke of luck that Joey, that vampire that helped us get out of the hospital, warned his coven elders who got word to the _Vecchio Ordine_ and sent the team of enforcers to the garage.", Paige explained.

"So, you're saying- ", Walter began, but Paige cut him off,

"Yes, that after Drew left protective custody, he must have gone to wherever Collins was until Elisabetta arrived and collected both of them, flying them back here so that all of us would get caught in this uprising."

The whole coven fell silent, absorbing Paige's words.

"I think you have a point…", Toby replied, "Collins always goes for the most elaborate plans and he goes where the power is. Elisabetta would be the perfect way in. I don't know what the endgame of all this would be, but if Elisabetta is planning an uprising and she needs someone who can hack into prisons, Collins would be the best one for the job."

"After she breaks into the facilities, she can use her Strigoi to create armies of gifted vampires that will answer to her…", Sylvester explained, "After we go to the ball, which is probably where she plans to put her operation in motion, it'll be easy for Collins to get a few Strigoi out of Elisabetta's mind control and set them on us like rabid dogs… once we're dead or turned and Drew has Paige and Ralph, Elisabetta will have power and Collins will want to stick around her, keeping him in power…"

Diana looked like she was at a loss for words.

"That,", Walter stated, "is Mark Collins's endgame."

"So, what do we do now?", Megan asked.

"I know that we can't just decide not to show up because that would probably get us all evicted or worse…", Paige said, clearly nervous.

"I say that we say ciao to these vamps and vamoose before things get messy.", Toby said.

"I'm with the doc on this one. We make a break for it tonight, get the first jet out of here that we can hop on and go home.", Happy said.

Diana shook her head.

"You won't make it past the enforcers guarding the front gate. They are sworn to protect you and if you are as vital to this whole plan as you say you are, then Collins will have Strigoi out there making sure you can't get away."

"Guys…", Ralph murmured, "You're forgetting the last lines of the prophecy…"

Ralph walked over to the board and began reciting the last lines.

"…but the marked one must give all, even their spirit, to rise against the threat. Sacrifice must be necessary, but if done properly, the fortunate will rise from the ashes and all will be renewed…", he said, "That means that my mom is their only chance, she has to give her all to fight this. Sacrifice must be necessary. I have a feeling that can mean sacrificing your life, but it can also be interpreted as our safety. If you sacrifice properly—If _we_ sacrifice properly, meaning that we risk ourselves to save everyone else, then the fortunate will rise from the ashes and all will be restored, meaning we'll all survive.", Ralph finished.

Paige sighed and nodded.

"You're right.", she replied, looking at the rest of the coven, "We can't just leave. Not while there's a crisis with impossible odds that we need to beat…that's what Scorpion does…we save everybody, and, quite frankly, I think we need to get back into the habit of beating the odds."

Walter looked at his mate and then at his coven.

"So, who's with me?", Paige asked.

"I am.", Walter said.

"Me too.", Ralph said.

"Till the end, little bro.", Megan added.

The rest of the coven joined in and then they began creating a plan to counterstrike.

"We need a way to sneak our jumpsuits and armor into the ball.", Megan said.

"I can engineer special harnesses for us so that we can hide the armor under our gowns…", Happy said, "the guys will be able to wear their suits under their tuxedos, which is great, and Paige and I can wear ours from the waist down, since we have skirts that flare a bit at the waist."

"I'll have to find a way to smuggle mine in...", Megan said, "I went for more of a mermaid design… Happy has an A line dress that flares at the waist and, since the vampire who fitted us was told in advance that Paige was the lady of the coven, which is a big deal here, Paige is in a full ball gown."

"Not that I'm complaining…I like my A line skirts sometimes, but I've always wanted to wear a puffy dress…guess that comes in handy now…"

"What about the fireproof hoods? Won't they show?", Cabe asked.

"I'll take a seam ripper and remove them and then attach snaps or Velcro to the suit and the hood pouches. You'll carry them in in your pockets and you'll have your silver spikes in your inside pocket. Paige will be able to carry her armor, plus Walter's and Ralph's, since she actually had a bit of a hoop skirt to attach them to and crinoline to hide them with.", Happy replied.

"How is my sword getting in?"

"I was a Marine and I was a part of an Old-World style coven too, I'll carry it in and say that it's mine. If things go sideways and you're around, I'll pass it off to you, and if you're not, I know how to use it.", Cabe replied.

Paige nodded.

"How are the rest of us getting our armor in? We can't wear it under our clothes…What about our boots?"

Diana spoke up.

"I know my way around and I can get in and out of the ballroom with my key. I'll get there early for setup and hide the bags with your armor in it under your assigned table. Once the tablecloth and settings are arranged, nobody will notice them, I swear.", she said.

Happy sighed.

"Thanks for telling us now, at least Paige won't have to lug all that stuff in on her own. We can just give you our duffel bags and you can plant them under the table.", Happy replied.

Diana shook her head.

"I can do one bag, maybe up to three, on my own, but people will get suspicious if they see me with all those bags."

"Then perhaps we can be of assistance.", Kim said as she and Santana took seats at the table.

"We overheard everything that you all said, and it sounds right. We shouldn't trust people and we need to keep this among ourselves…", Santana added.

"We can get in as kitchen staff for the event and plant the rest of them with a food trolley.", Kim said, "They won't think twice about us getting in because both of us used to work this event, though not at the same time."

"So, Kim and Santana are in charge of smuggling in everyone's armor, Cabe is covering Paige's sword, and Happy can just create a net that will go under Paige's hoop skirt that will hold Megan's jumpsuit.", Walter reiterated, "This sounds like a good plan."

"Only one thing left to do.", Diana said.

"What's that?"

"Get ready for a fight.", she replied.

Walter and Paige glanced at each other with surprisingly calm looks on their faces.

This had been the one thing they had tried to avoid and it had become the inevitable and now that it was closer than they thought, all they could feel was an odd sense of calm.

Walter raised his eyebrows as if to ask his mate if she was ready and Paige nodded silently in return.

**B &W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~ B&W ~**

On the day of the Unification Ball, where dozens of other vampires were polishing their shoes and getting their hair and nails done in preparation for the night's events, the Scorpion coven was preparing for battle, one that may or may not take place, and they were doing it by spending it with the ones they cared about the most.

They had spent the first part of their morning apart as a coven, each doing their own thing.

Happy and Toby woke up before sunrise and went for a walk through the gardens with some coffee, finding the hammock where Walter and Paige had spent the day once and curling up together to watch the sky get painted in shades of red, pink, blue, purple, gold, and orange. They went back up to the villa and went up the back stairs through the kitchen door and then Santana asked Happy if she could change his oil and apologized for asking her at such an early hour, but Happy shook her head and went to the garage with Toby choosing to stay at the villa and go to the library to read up on Strigoi.

Happy worked alone, part of her mind wandering to Toby, the other part wandering to tonight's events, wondering if this would be the last time she ever worked on a car.

Meanwhile, Cabe was in the gym downstairs doing his morning workout regimen, the thought of his late daughter Amanda weighing particularly heavy on his mind this morning.

Cabe went to the small chapel in the villa after his workout and prayed.

"Amanda,", he said out loud, looking up, "As much as I love and miss you, I don't want to think about seeing you any sooner than I need to."

Cabe paused.

"Point is, and you probably know this, I've got people I need to care for and, aside from you, they're really the only family I have left…Walter and all the kids really, they're like my children, I'm so happy to see Walter settling down with Paige and being a father to Ralph…I need to stay with them…"

Cabe continued praying in silence before heading up to his room and deciding to draw for the first time in years.

Megan and Sylvester were very content to just lie with one another in bed and talk about everything.

"You know, I never thought I'd go out in a battle, at least not an actual battle with vampires and swords and stuff…I thought that my MS would be my battle and that I would eventually lose it…", Megan murmured.

"I've never given much thought to my own death, believe it or not… I suppose that trying to save people is a pretty valiant way to go.", Sylvester replied.

"Let's say we all survive this, what do you want to do when we go home?"

"Sleeping in our own bed would be nice, maybe setting up more of your things or turning the second bedroom into a shared workspace…that would be a fun project, right?", Sylvester replied, "Although I would like to meet your family someday…"

"Maybe just hold on meeting the family until we've been together a little longer…to be honest, I'm not really sure how you and my parents will get along since Walter and my parents don't have a good relationship…", Megan replied, sounding unsure.

"Hey, I'm sure they'll love me…after all, you do…", Sylvester said, nudging Megan gently until she cracked a smile and giggled.

"And you love me too.", Megan murmured, snuggling closer to her mate.

"That I do."

In the master suite, Walter had started the morning early with Paige, making love to her for what might be the last time, which was partly the reason why Paige shook her head when Walter reached for the condoms.

If this truly ended up being their last time together, Paige wanted to feel all of him inside of her, even his seed, and if she lost Walter today only for her to survive, at least she might have the slim chance of having his child, having some part of him with her, some part of him to live on. Perhaps it was selfish of her to want a child with him now of all times, but she knew that it was more likely than not that she would ovulate normally and not become pregnant whether they both survived or not.

After they had made love several times, they cleaned up and got dressed, Walter telling her to wear something practical that she didn't mind getting dirt, blood, and water on, then they went down to Ralph's room and woke him, Walter telling him the same thing he had told Paige.

"What about breakfast?", Ralph asked as they left the villa and went towards the woods, grabbing a blood-stained wheelbarrow from the hunting shed on their way so that the corpses of whatever they killed could be taken up to Santana.

"Ralph, Paige, I think it's time you both learned the most vital lesson in becoming a vampire; how to hunt.", Walter replied as they walked towards the woods.

Walter gave them a quick crash course on how to locate and stalk prey and how to go in for the proper kill.

Soon, they were tiptoeing through the underbrush and Paige locked in on a couple fallow deer, baring her fangs and creeping up on them just as Walter showed her how. Paige glanced to Walter and he nodded and Ralph gave her the thumbs up. When she turned back, the deer spotted her and took off and Paige muttered something before taking off after them with Walter and Ralph following her.

They heard a yelp, a thump, twigs breaking, and a scuffle and then silence.

When Walter and Ralph entered the clearing where Paige was, she looked up at them from her knees, covered in arterial spray, blood rushing down her chin and staining her clothes.

"Well, I got it, but it's messier than I thought it would be.", she said before she went back down and drained the deer before lifting its bloodless carcass and taking it to the tree line where the wheelbarrow sat.

Ralph was next, sneaking up on a pheasant, which flew away before he could pounce, and then a rabbit, which quickly got wise and dashed away, Ralph following it deep into the woods, moving at a surprising pace for a fledgling, quickly outstripping Walter and Paige.

Walter and Paige stopped to catch their bearings and Walter caught the scent of a wild boar seconds after picking up Ralph's trail.

"What's that smell?", Paige asked, wrinkling up her nose.

"Wild boar.", Walter replied.

"It's heading straight for Ralph.", Paige stated.

"This is bad,", Walter said, "Ralph won't be strong enough to fend off a wild boar on his own."

The words were barely out of his mouth before they both took off in Ralph's direction.

They arrived in the nick of time. Ralph was crouching down, holding the carcass of the rabbit he had caught, blood coating his hands and chin.

"Mom! Dad! Look, I got one!", Ralph exclaimed just as the boar came charging through the trees, heading straight for Ralph.

Walter leapt over the fledgling, fangs bared, tackling the beast in midair.

Paige watched, frozen where she stood as Walter wrestled with the sizeable boar before finally killing it by getting on its back and grabbing the snout, nearly ripping it in half by pulling the jaws apart, blood spraying all over all of them.

Walter drained the rest of the carcass and stood up.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that—I should have warned-", Walter began, but was cut off by Ralph hugging him, thanking him for saving his life. Paige also thanked him and kissed his cheek.

Ralph then looked at his parents and laughed.

"You guys are all bloody."

Paige laughed and hugged Ralph, blood smearing on his clothes from hers, "Yeah, well now you're all bloody too."

Walter laughed and then noticed that Paige's back was still relatively clean.

"Hey Paige?", he said, coming up behind her, "Looks like you missed a spot!", he exclaimed and wiped his hands on the back of her shirt.

Ralph giggled and then patted Walter on the back, getting his small handprint on his shirt.

"Got you too.", Ralph laughed.

Walter got an idea and then tapped Paige on the shoulder and yelled, "Tag! You're it!" before running off into the woods and Ralph yelped in excitement and ran off after Walter.

"I'm gonna get you!", Paige yelled, coming after them.

Their game of tag lasted several minutes until Ralph was out of breath.

The trio walked back to the clearing and Walter patted Ralph on the shoulder and said, "Hey, hey, you just got your first rabbit…I'm proud of you, buddy."

"I know and thanks.", Ralph said, practically shaking with excitement as his mother congratulated him.

"Are you still hungry?", Walter and Paige asked at the same time.

"A bit. I'll get something up at the villa though, if you don't mind…I was kind of looking forward to trying the scones Kim made…", he replied, calmed down now that their bloody game of tag had ended.

"Okay then. Grab your carcass, we'll go back to the shed and hose down and then we'll go get showered and changed properly at the villa.", Paige said.

Ralph nodded and followed his parents from the woods.

Soon they were all cleaned up and sitting at the table, Ralph spreading jam onto a scone and humming like he hadn't made his first kill less than an hour before.

Diana came into the room and told all of them that Paige's sword and all the stakes and knives had been sharpened to perfection and that everything they needed was with their armor and boots, on their way to the West Villa to be stashed beneath their table, that they would have five hours of free time after breakfast and then they were expected to shower and do any personal grooming necessary before meeting in the upper gallery for their hair, nail, and makeup appointments.

They spent a good portion of that time going over their plans if something did happen at the ball and then, around lunch the coven went and did whatever personal grooming they felt was necessary and then reconvened afterwards.

While Paige and Walter were waiting for the rest of the coven to return, she and Walter watched _Cry-Baby_ (one of her favorite John Waters films) on her tablet. In the movie, after Wade 'Cry Baby' Walker was arrested, his girlfriend Allison cried into a jar and then drank her own tears. Paige had always thought that it had been disgusting and she wrinkled her nose up at it while Walter muttered, "Why would you drink your own tears? It's not going to do you any good…", under his breath. Paige nodded and then she froze as a thought formed in her head and she whispered, "No, but mine could…".

Walter looked at her.

"I know that look…you have an idea…", Walter murmured.

Paige told him her idea and when the rest of the coven returned, she repeated her idea to them excitedly.

"I'll cry into bottles in case you get seriously injured…my tears have healing properties…", Paige said, "If you get hurt, you'll drink them and they'll bring you back, it sounds gross, but I resurrected a dead bird that way, so I know it'll work. What do you think?", she said.

The rest of the coven murmured in approval but Happy spoke up.

"No offense Dineen, but you don't seem like the type to cry easily…", Happy replied, "Not even if you went and watched _The Notebook_ on repeat."

Toby glanced at her.

"You've watched _The Notebook_? And you thought it was sad?", Toby asked the mechanic.

"Shut up, doc.", she snapped.

"Oh, the crying thing is no issue. My mom taught me how to cry on demand.", Paige replied.

"Why would she do that?", Ralph asked.

Paige sighed and figured now was as good a time as any to tell Ralph about his grandmother.

"Well, Ralph, remember how I said my mom was always coming and going?", Paige asked.

Ralph nodded.

"It's because she was, and probably still is, a con artist and she was always in and out of jail. I learned how to act so that she could use me in her cons.", Paige replied, "Uh, my dad, he traveled a lot for business, and we had a falling out and he passed away a few years before you were born…Ralph, I have no other living relatives besides you and maybe my mom, but I really don't want to see her…do you understand?"

Ralph seemed unfazed by the thought of his grandmother being a criminal and his mother's family life being a lonely state of affairs and he shrugged.

"Not everyone can have the perfect biological family. I think we're the example of that, I mean, Drew isn't around…I don't want him to be, so I understand how you feel about your mom…", He said, looking at Paige before looking around at the coven, "But we're lucky because we found a family…", Ralph looked at Walter and said, "I've even found a father…"

Walter smiled and patted the young genius on the shoulder, "And I've found a son."

Sylvester came up to Walter, Happy, and Toby, saying, "I've got two brothers and a sister…", he leaned in and kissed Megan on the cheek, "I have a mate. Paige is practically my sister-in-law, Ralph is like a nephew to me, and I think we all agree that Cabe keeps us on track and safe like a father would…I love my family…"

Walter didn't know who started it, but he quickly got caught up in a group hug and didn't mind the contact so much.

"I hate to break up this family moment,", Diana said, entering the room, "But we have to start getting ready…"

The upper gallery in the Red Villa had been transformed into a salon and everyone, even the guys, were getting in on the pampering. The women's dresses, underwear, and jumpsuits were on racks along the back wall, each of them in opaque garment bags, the only clue to give away their dresses being the shoes and accessories, which sat in boxes nearby.

"I don't see the point of this…", Walter griped as he was given a manicure.

"Your nails are damaged and your cuticles are overgrown, I'm trying to make them look nice and I'm sorry if it's taking some time…", said the manicurist, "Now hold still,", he said, "I don't want to get you with the cuticle scissors."

Walter grumbled unintelligibly and Paige giggled from next to him at his sour look as Happy's manicurist said almost the same thing to her.

"Good God woman, what have you done to your nails?", she exclaimed.

"I'm a mechanic, I like to tinker with things. Santana needed his oil changed, so I went and did it…", Happy replied, rolling her eyes.

After the guys had their haircuts and manicures done (Paige pouted as Walter got his curls trimmed back and he caught her gaze in the mirror, shrugging a little as she frowned), they left to go watch a movie in the other room.

While their nails dried, the hairstylists went to work, Maria and Kim eventually joining them so they could get ready for the ball.

"There are sandwiches in the refrigerator if you want some before they begin the makeup, just make sure you brush your teeth afterwards…last year a piece of lettuce was stuck in my teeth and nobody bothered to point it out to me until an hour into the ball…", Kim said as her had her roots touched up, "Oh and it's done. Everything is in place and ready for later…"

"Ooh, what's happening later?", Happy's stylist asked, trying to make conversation.  
"An afterparty.", Happy replied plainly.

Paige decided to make small talk and it morphed into something more like a debate over whether or not aliens existed (why aliens? Paige didn't know, it was just the first thing that came to mind, after all, her ten-year-old son is interested in astronomy, so it's definitely a conversation she's had before).

After their hair was finished, Maria and Kim remained behind to have their nails done, and they went to eat with the guys and discovered that Kim had left them a note on the refrigerator, warning them that they should fill up on human blood before the ball because it would make them stronger and that they should drink two pints each.

Paige ate a sandwich and then downed two pints, reminding herself of the night she was changed, because that had been human blood too, and remembering how the events of that night had shaped her entire future with Walter.

Kim also left little glass bottles and corks on the counter and Paige filled them with her tears before handing them out.

An hour later, Paige was being laced into her ball gown, the flame red skirt offsetting the dark tattoo-like marks on her pale skin almost perfectly.

"If you wanted us to cover your tattoos so you could wear the necklace, it's not too late.", Paige's makeup artist said as Paige put her simple gold earrings in, slid her cuff bracelets on, ignored the heavy necklace that came with the dress, and gingerly lifted her skirt to double knot the arms of her jumpsuit together and step into her high heels.

"No, they're a part of me and I think they suit me better than jewelry.", Paige said confidently, straightening up as she stepped off the pedestal and in front of a large three-way mirror.

"You look like every lady of a coven should.", Kim said, stepping forward in her black and red gown.

"How's that?", Paige asked.

"They all look stylish and powerful and if anyone knows anything about those marks, they'll agree with me.", Kim said.

Megan stepped out, a vision in pale gold and glitter and she twirled around in her flats before pointing excitedly at Kim's dress and gasping.

"Is that Helena's dress from the My Chemical Romance song?", Megan gushed.

Kim smiled and nodded.

"Didn't know you were a fan."

"I spent most of the 2000's in a room, music was all I had.", Megan replied.

"You're both wearing flats?", Diana asked as she came forward, her powder blue heels perfectly matching her gown, her cape fluttering behind her as she went forward and adjusted her gele at the mirror.

"I never learned how to walk in heels. I like being comfortable, especially when there's gravel out front that we'll have to walk through to get in the cars.", Megan replied with a shrug.

"It goes with the dress.", Kim said, motioning to her black ballet flats.

"Don't laugh.", Happy grumbled from behind her changing screen.

"I'm sure you look fine.", Maria said, looking very regal in a deep red sheath dress with a matching coat and hat.

Happy muttered unintelligibly and stepped out, her simple navy blue dress highlighting her subtle curves and making her seem taller than she was. She wore her hair up in a high ponytail and a plain silver chain hung around her neck with a simple silver loop pendant at the end.

"Simple, yet elegant.", Paige said, "I wouldn't have expected anyone to wear that look better than you."

Happy blushed lightly at the compliment.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Are you wearing heels?", Megan asked, noticing how normally Happy walked.

"Hell no.", she said, lifting the skirt to reveal her combat boots, "I'm not getting caught in ankle busters if something happens…"

At six o'clock, Walter and the rest of the guys were straightening their ties in the foyer when Ralph looked up and pointed at the stairs.

"Here they come!", the boy exclaimed and Walter watched as Kim, Maria, and Diana descended.

Toby let out a whistle as Happy came down the stairs and she blushed before taking his hand and letting him escort her down the last few steps.

Sylvester and Walter both grinned as Megan emerged and floated down the steps, glowing with her own light even though she wasn't in her oracle mode.

Walter watched as there was a pause and then Paige came down the stairs, looking like a queen in a magnificent fiery red ball gown, her dark ruby eyes magnified by her smoky eye makeup, her markings standing out in perfect clarity for all to see.

"Hi.", she whispered, accepting his hand at the landing.

He struggled to find words and managed to tell her how stunning she looked, lucky for him, Ralph piped in and gushed over his mother's appearance.

Maria asked if they would like to have her take pictures of the coven while they waited for the cars to arrive. They all agreed and passed their phones forward, taking individual shots and then couples. Walter and Megan got their picture taken together and then Paige, Ralph, and Walter stood in for a family shot.

The last few photos were of Ralph waving them all together as a coven for a team photo and then Toby snapped a selfie of everyone.

"Guys. It's time.", Megan said as the cars pulled up.

"Head of the coven rides in the front with their family.", Bruno said and escorted Walter, Ralph, and Paige to their car, "Don't be surprised if they refer to all three of you as O'Brien, remember, in the eyes of the _Vecchio Ordine_ , you were married when you mated.", he reminded them, "Maria and I will be there the whole time, we'll alert you if we see any suspicious behavior."

"Thanks Bruno.", Paige said.

After the short ride into the city, they pulled up outside a lavish hall where many people were milling around in fancy gowns and had to be introduced as the Scorpion Coven from Los Angeles California. Paige never though that she would hear her name announced as _"Lady Paige O'Brien"_ , but here she was, and it sent an odd thrill through her at the way it sounded. Little did she know that Walter was imagining the day in the future when he would marry her and ask her to take his name if she wanted. Ralph was grinning widely as he was announced as _"Lord and Lady O'Brien's son, Ralph O'Brien.",_ and hearing that name solidified his dream of one day being Walter's actual son in the eyes of the state of California.

They were led to their tables and then, after a brief fanfare, the Morettis were introduced, the pair walking down the stairs into the hall, their daughter following behind in a sleek silver gown, armor fixed on her arms and shoulders serving as decorations, the spike at her hip reminding all of them why she had to be watched.

"Thank you for joining us.", Regina said.

"Now please join us in the opening dance.", Alfonso said, bowing to his wife as the music began.

In a matter of minutes, the dance floor was crowded with couples; from Megan and Sylvester who had memorized every step perfectly, executing them with flawless grace and precision, to Happy and Toby who did a two-step, to Oliver and Penelope who swayed at arms-length, her large baby bump getting in the way, the both of them looking so happy with the prospect of becoming parents that it made Paige smile.

She wanted with all her heart for Walter to look at her like that one day.

Walter and Paige danced together and talked quietly about home and how much they missed it.

"You know,", Walter began, "I'd like to do this sometime, maybe on the roof, just the two of us…"

"Hmm, I'd like that…", Paige replied, "About what you said earlier this week…I-If we did ever get married, would you want me to take your name?"

Walter stiffened slightly and replied, "Uh, o-only if you'd want to take my name…"

"I would…I don't really know the Dineen family…that was my father's last name…I want nothing to do with that anymore…I-I feel like I was reborn when I was changed, that Dineen is no longer who I want to be…", Paige placed her cheek to Walter's, inhaling the soft, dark aroma of his cologne before whispering, "I want to be your Mrs. O'Brien one day…"

Walter pulled back and twirled her, her gown fanning out, and he pulled her back in, holding her close and grinning.

"I'd like that a lot.", he replied.

He was about to kiss her when someone tapped him on the back and cleared their throat.

Paige and Walter pulled back and smiled when Ralph stood there.

"May I cut in?", he asked.

"Yes, you may.", Paige said and Walter stepped back and allowed Paige to dance with her son.

Walter walked back to their table and got a drink and when the dance ended, he looked out over the crowd and heard the ping of a champagne flute being tapped as the Morettis stood up. Paige and Ralph came back to the table as Alfonso stepped forward to make a speech.

Megan had come back to the table and she gasped when she saw Elisabetta rise in the middle of her father's speech on unity.

"And we have come very far in the many illustrious years since our ascension.", Alfonso spoke.

"But you haven't come far enough.", Elisabetta said loudly, cutting her father off and addressing the crowd, "Tonight, a new era begins, one of true and honest unity, but first, there will be glorious discord. I call upon my warriors to rise up and take the power back!", she shouted.

With that, she drew a silver dagger and ran Regina through, the queen falling as her daughter lifted the blood-stained blade in victory, enforcers hurrying Alfonso from the room as his wife bled out, his anguished cries echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

Chaos erupted and Strigoi rushed the room.

And Walter's family, the Scorpion coven, was at the very heart of it all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment!  
> Here are the links if you want to go check out the gowns I chose for Paige, Happy, and Megan:  
> Paige: http://g02.a.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1kn48KFXXXXa8XVXXq6xXFXXX4/-font-b-Beautiful-b-font-Sweetheart-Ball-Gown-Ruffles-Taffeta-Prom-font-b-Dresses-b.jpg   
> Happy: https://cdnb.lystit.com/1200/630/tr/photos/4ea1-2016/02/14/alfred-sung-midnight-v-neck-dupioni-full-length-a-line-dress-blue-product-0-191077343-normal.jpeg   
> Megan: http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/32261259274_1/Gold-Appliqued-Tulle-Sheath-Sleeveless-evening-Dresses-floor-length-O-neck-Sexy-Prom-Dress-Luxury-Designer.jpg


	19. The Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you’ve made it to the big battle chapter! I must inform you that there will be a good bit of violence, descriptive gore, death, and swearing in this chapter. You have been warned.
> 
> This will probably be a back to back posting with a cliffhanger at the end, just so the word count doesn’t get too out of hand like it did in chapter 18, but this will still be a long chapter, so don't say I didn't warn you! (Remember, this is also my way of apologizing for not updating for about 8 months and some days)
> 
> As always, thank you for your kind reviews and comments and I hope you enjoy!

Paige gulped and clutched Walter’s hand in one hand and Ralph’s in her other.

This is what they had trained for and they all knew it, but it didn’t ease their worries at all.

How does one prepare themselves for such a thing as potentially being killed in a battle? Paige had freaked out the first time she was in a war zone, an occasion that she rarely liked to think about, much less bring up, and she was surprised that it hadn’t been mentioned at all during this whole affair. She could still recall Walter grabbing onto her flak jacket and holding her down and out of the line of gunfire, assuring her that she would survive and see Ralph again.

It had been the moment when she had come to realize how much she truly felt for him.

There, in a theater of war, of all places.

And here they were again, only this time, Ralph was with them. 

Paige inhaled sharply as the chaos broke around them. Megan had Sylvester unzip her dress quickly before she ducked under the table and changed. For once, Megan was grateful to find that her slight, petite build was a blessing rather than a curse. Happy and Paige unzipped and unlaced each other and Toby and Walter quickly used their tuxedo jackets to cover them as they pulled the tops of their jumpsuits up and kicked their gowns unceremoniously under the table.

“Walter get my hair down…I don’t want hairpins melted to my scalp.”, Paige said, throwing off her stiletto heels and pulling on her boots in record time.

Walter raised his hand and turned it into an electromagnet, pulling all of Paige’s hairpins out of her head and into his palm, her hair falling in loose waves, making a soft _whump_  that was only audible to Walter, even through the mayhem surrounding them. 

“Paige, here!”, Cabe said and passed Valkyrie over to Paige, who snapped the holster around her waist with her utility belt.

In the mad dash for the exits, nobody really saw the entire Scorpion coven suiting up, but they were there, diligently snapping and hooking each other’s armor plates and flame hoods into place like they had all done it a hundred times before.

While Elisabetta laughed viciously as she advanced into the middle of the floor, Joseph and Amelia came out from behind the curtains that hung behind the table of honor and threw off their coats, exposing the armor underneath.

“It’s good to be back, isn’t it sunshine?”, Joseph said and took Amelia’s gloved and armored hand in his, kissing it gently as people screamed and ran in a panic around them. 

“Indeed, it is…”, she said, grinning down at the dying vampire queen.

Amelia leaned over Regina as she gasped for air, her hands clutching frantically at the deep, precise hole in her chest just below her breast, blood gushing out of her wound in frantic, rhythmic pulses.

Elisabetta had struck with incredible accuracy and had purposefully just nicked Regina’s heart and had punctured her left lung so that the blood gushing from her damaged heart would pool in the lung, slowly suffocating the queen. The skin around her wound was quickly turning grey and crumbling, the effects of the silver going to work on her weakened body.

Amelia searched Regina’s frantic eyes as the dying queen spoke to her.

“Please…”, she rasped and coughed, her own blood coating her lips as she struggled to breathe, “Save me…”

Amelia laughed cruelly and shook her fiery hair back as Joseph stood beside her, looking down on them.

“Why on Earth would I do a thing like that? Spare you so that you could toss me in prison for the rest of my life or kill me?”, Amelia’s voice turned dark and serious as she leaned down and clamped a hand around Regina’s throat, her words coming out in a lethal hiss as her hand began to glow, heating her gauntlet and burning the skin of the queen’s neck beneath it, “I want you to suffer as I did. You killed my family and Joseph’s family and our covens… you threatened my son… my own granddaughter doesn’t even know me because of you… You and that bastard mate of yours promised us freedom and then you destroyed everything close to us and now you’re finally getting to feel that same sting of betrayal, from your own daughter, no less!”, Amelia laughed coldly, “No, I want to enjoy this…”, she seethed, loosening her grip on her throat, “So, I’m going to kill your mate…”

Regina’s eyes went wide as she began to grow pale and then she did something surprising and laughed.

Joseph frowned.

“What’s so funny?”, he asked.

“You… fools…”, Regina rasped, “I’ll be dead before that happens…y-you won’t get that satisfaction…not now, not ever… As for your granddaughter and great grandson and their coven…they’ve been watched from day one by our best and most loyal enforcers…On my command, I can have each and every one of their heads mounted on spikes… you haven’t won anything yet…”

Amelia looked up at Joseph and said “Table her” and he nodded before dragging Regina by her hair, pulling her up onto the nearest table as Amelia shoved the tableware to the floor.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”, he said before taking a silver knife and driving it through the soles of Regina’s shoes and slicing her kneecaps before cutting her palms and forearms as well, the gray cracks spreading to the skin around the wounds as she cried out.

“Make sure she can’t be moved.”, Amelia said and Joseph nodded, pulling steak knives from the plates at another table and driving them through her wrists.

“She’d lose both hands if someone tried…”, Joseph replied before looking at Regina, “Now you can’t escape…Tabling is a tactic my coven has employed for centuries, even before we decided to run the show in North America, hell, even before we left Europe.” 

Amelia looked back down at Regina as she replied weakly.

“I’ll still bleed out before you can find Alfonso…”

Amelia tutted and shook her head as chaos raged around them.

“Not if I can help it…”, she replied, heating her fingertips until they glowed before plunging them into her gushing wound, cauterizing the tissue just enough to stop the bleeding from her heart as Regina screamed.

“There.”, Amelia replied, pulling her own hand from the wound and wiping the blood and gray decomposition from her hand, “Sit tight, Regina…We’ve got your beloved Alfonso to find…”

Regina whimpered.

“What do you want anyway? Why me? What will you gain from this?”

Joseph exhaled.

“For starters, we want retribution.”, he said.

“I want you to suffer as we did.”, Amelia replied, “But we also want what we’ve wanted from the start, the thing that made you destroy all of us; our freedom to lead the American covens.”

“You see,”, Joseph said, trailing the silver blade along Regina’s skin, leaving a gray ash line in its wake, “Things in America aren’t as civilized as they are here. We have so many different people from everywhere in the world in the states…so many different genealogies and possibilities for vampires to spring up everywhere, and then boom!”, he drove the knife into her skin for effect, “You have people with vampire kids who have no idea what to do with them.”

“So, we wanted to be able to reach out to them and help them transition…sort of like your academies here, only more personal, but your laws prevented us from doing that, because, by your laws, we’d have to kill anyone too dangerous or too gifted and we didn’t like that too much…”, Amelia said, “So we had to break away, but then you had more problems with that, so you killed most of our coven members, locked us up, and then killed the rest of our coven members…Pity you didn’t find out what we were working on right before you locked us up…and I know how much that burns you up…”, Amelia hissed as she heated her hand and placed them on the bare flesh of her upper arms, making Regina cry out.

“That’s why we’re doing this…Have we made our point?”, Joseph said calmly, “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have work to do…”

Amelia straightened up and looked around, “Do you see Paige’s coven? I heard her being announced. I know she’s the mate of the head of the Scorpion coven now…”

“I don’t think so, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t here…”, Joseph said.

“Well, keep looking…I don’t want her son caught up in this mess…Not if he’s just ten or eleven years old…”, Amelia said and blinded two enforcers who tried to recapture her before Joseph punched one of them in the throat.

Meanwhile, across the floor, Walter and his coven stood along with many others and in a rush, more Strigoi appeared from the exits and began charging the crowds.

Paige kissed Walter and hugged her son before climbing on top of the table and igniting her palms.

“Dineen.”, Happy called up to her, and Paige looked down at the mechanic, “Light the bastards up.”

Paige nodded to her as screams permeated the air and with a shout that sounded more like a battle cry, she ignited fully, catching everyone’s attention and causing them to grow silent in seconds, the Strigoi shielding their eyes from her brilliant light.

Amelia gasped and grabbed Joseph’s arm.

“That’s her!”, she said in awe, “Oh my God, that’s her…”

“She reminds me of you from back in the day…”, Joseph murmured.

“I never looked like that, I only glowed and heated, never ignited like that…Look! She has Valkyrie with her…”

Paige’s wings unfurled from her back, her light shining brighter as she lifted Valkyrie above her head.

“Well, well…Nice to see Walter’s whore finally having a place other than on her knees.”, came the cold teasing, echoing voice of Mark Collins, “Oh and she brought her bastard son with her, how sweet!”

He stood in a suit of armor all his own at the top of the steps, surrounded by a group of Strigoi who were stoic and still as he applauded her sarcastically.

Walter stared at his nemesis.

“Surprised to see me Walter? Did you honestly think your cripple sister did me in with her needles?”, Mark laughed humorlessly before speaking to his Strigoi, “Kill the rest of them but bring me Walter, his whore, and the bastard child alive.”, Mark seethed. 

Paige flew off the table towards him with an inhuman cry and almost got close enough to run him through when she was beaten back and thrown across the room by a massive geyser of water, extinguishing her fire, a gasp and some screams rising from the crowd as she crashed down onto a table and leveled it before striking the floor.

As if a spell was broken, people rushed the exits, bowling over chairs and other people.

Toby looked around and saw one of the normals in attendance being sucked dry by a Strigoi and he shuddered.

“Come on, we have to help them get out of here!”, Happy shouted, shaking the psychiatrist out of his daze as she pointed towards the balcony.

Toby, Happy, and Ralph had knocked over a long table and had created a barricade against the balcony doors, helping children out of the room, beating back Strigoi with gilded table legs. 

Walter went to rush to Paige’s side, but she reignited quickly and stood, shaking the water from her hair, her makeup running, making her look even more dangerous than she was, and that was saying something.

“I see you’ve found the ace up my sleeve…”, Mark sneered and Drew stepped out from below the stairs, his body also covered in armor, only his seemed to glow blue around the edges, “Go do your work Drew.”

“Drew, what are you doing?”, Paige asked before coughing, shocked at the identity of her adversary.

“Making sure you don’t ruin this for Elisabetta.”, he replied, “I’m powered you know, I could have kept my promise to you…I could have protected you and Ralph from all of this…but you decided you would go with _them_ instead.”, he hissed before shaking his head and tutting at Paige, “Well, I see I was right. You must have put out for Walter the second he turned you, huh? Were you really so eager to feel something again that you chose him…the emotionally stunted man-child with a sickening interest in our son…You should be ashamed…”

Paige shook her head and her flames grew in anger, burning straight through from red to blue and settling on bright white.

Walter saw her glance to the side where they stood and signal them with her hand to act in three seconds.

Walter nodded and counted down and then, on one, Walter brought a powerful bolt down to strike Drew and throw him back on the steps where he landed with a rather sickening crunch despite his armor, Paige summoned up fire and aimed at Sylvester’s strengthening shield where he redirected her fire and practically melted three Strigoi where they stood.

Walter then used his powers to lift himself off the ground and he landed feet from Collins, thunder rumbling outside in warning.

“You don’t want them, you want me.”, Walter said, “Why are you trying to kill everyone I love?”

Mark looked like he was about to lose his mind in anger and he struck Walter firmly in the jaw.

“You moron! Don’t you hear what you’re saying?”, Mark roared and went to punch him again, Walter dodging and nearly tripping over the carpeting as he spat out blood, “Love makes you weak! It makes you stupid!”, he landed another punch on Walter, making him stagger slightly, this time making a cut above his eye and blinding him with blood, “Why can’t you see that?!”

“HEY!”, came Megan’s shout from above Mark on the upper landing and Walter turned just as she picked up a large gilded candelabra and brought the whole thing crashing down onto Mark’s head, knocking him unconscious, “Nobody calls my little brother stupid!”, she yelled.

“How did you get up here?”, Walter asked and looked down at where Mark’s Strigoi had fainted at the bottom of the steps.

“The Strigoi were in my way so I floated up.”

Walter glanced at Collins and a fleeting thought entered his mind.

“I should behead him while I have the chance…”, Walter blurted, somewhat shocked by his own violent thoughts, but Paige yelling for Ralph made him refocus.

Drew was unconscious, having been under Collins’s mind control, but Paige was no longer ignited.

She was screaming frantically for Ralph and then Walter scanned the room and located him.

Ralph was fighting back as he was dragged away by a couple of enforcers wearing the Moretti colors.

Walter felt a deep, burning rage ignite within him unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He ran down the stairs and electrocuted every foe in his path until he got to Paige, grabbed her hand and said “I saw where Ralph went!”.

“Show me!”, Paige shouted, tears in her eyes, embers glowing in her pupils.

What happened next was probably their bond at work in times of peril, but Walter acted on instinct and placed a hand on her forehead and somehow projected his thoughts to her.

“Thank you.”, Paige sighed before reigniting, her wings forming as she grabbed Walter and said, “Hang on.”

Walter couldn’t even ask why before she kicked off the ground, pulling Walter up with her before her wings wrapped around him and then he felt immense heat and pressure before she opened her wings and they found themselves in another part of the villa; a secluded courtyard, to be exact.

The sounds of battle were raging in the distance, but in that place, it was dark and quiet aside from the bubbling of the fountain in the middle.

“Where are we?”, Paige whispered, putting out her flames and unsheathing Valkyrie.

“I don’t know…”

“Walter? Paige? Is that you?”, came a familiar yet hushed voice from the other side of the courtyard.

“Oliver?”, Walter asked the darkness.

“Yes. Come quickly… It’s Penelope…Please tell me that Toby is with you…”, Oliver said, stepping from the shadows, blood all over his tuxedo pants. His white shirt was missing and he was left in a blood-spattered tee shirt, an ashen look on his face.

Paige hurried over to him and they followed him down some stairs to where Penelope was breathing shallowly, blood from what looked like deep bite marks on her neck, back, and arms were staining her sunny yellow dress a dark orange and her bloodied handprints covered the fabric stretched over her bump.

“What happened?”, Paige asked, falling to Penelope’s side, Oliver sinking to his knees beside his wife, who had gone very pale from blood loss.

“When the Strigoi attacked, people needed to fill up on human to strengthen themselves…unfortunately they hadn’t served the human yet, so they took what they could get wherever they could find it…”, Oliver said, his voice breaking, “They…they went after my _wife_ …They went after Hazel and Victoria’s sons…I think I saw Niles being drained while he was trying to stop them from feeding on Flynn and Mitchell…”

Walter felt bile rising in his throat.

“But I thought Flynn and Mitchell were fledglings…”

Oliver nodded.

“A vampire in peril will feed on the closest thing to human to power up…this includes fledglings…”

Walter’s mind went to Ralph.

He had been removed by the enforcers, but he had appeared unharmed…

“Is she being changed right now?”, Paige asked, “She’s not unconscious…”

That much was evident by Penelope’s wide eyes that darted around.

“No…but the twins…if she has even a little bit of venom in her system…”, Oliver trailed off and Penelope whimpered in pain, becoming even paler, “They could die…Where is Toby?”

Paige shook her head.

“I don't know, I was going after Ralph, he was taken by some enforcers…”, Paige paused and jolted up off her knees, eyes wide and fearful, “Ralph! I need to find him!”   

“Wait? Enforcers? Hold it… How did you get past all the security blocks?”, Oliver asked, “These are the Moretti’s private quarters…”,

“Paige did this thing with her phoenix fire, she just zapped us from one spot to another.”, Walter replied.

“Apparition…”, Penelope managed weakly, “Like- just like in Harry Potter…”

“Well, at least you’re somewhat conscious…”, Oliver murmured, kissing her forehead.

“We need to find Ralph. You’re a head enforcer, where would they take our son and why?”, Paige asked.

“Paige…Walter…I haven’t been completely honest with you or your coven…”, he replied, tearing his shirt into strips and bandaging Penelope’s wounds with them.

“What do you mean?”, Walter asked, grasping Paige’s hand and taking a step back from Oliver.

“We…Hazel, Victoria, Diana, my parents, and I were not told to protect you from Collins or the Strigoi…We were instructed to foster your gifts of intellect and protect everyone else from you…”

“What?” “You liar…”, came Paige and Walter’s respective responses.

“That was the original plan…that is, until Megan began showing all the signs of being a true Oracle. The plan changed further when you two and everyone else became gifted…The only one we were originally supposed to protect everyone else from was Happy, but she proved to be one of the least dangerous gifted individuals out of your entire damn coven.”

“How so?”, Paige asked.

“Paige… Do you know anything about your paternal grandparents?”, Oliver asked, looking up at her, unfazed by the sword she had aimed at his face.

“They died before I was born…”

“Wrong. They were imprisoned before you were born.”

“That’s not true.”

“Is it? Have you ever heard the legacy of covens Rosen and Dineen?”

Paige didn’t speak.

“I’ll take that silence as a no.”, Oliver replied, “The Rosen coven was the most powerful coven north of the Mason-Dixon line, you know, the barrier between north and south, Pennsylvania and Maryland…Anyway, the Dineen coven was the southern coven. Fully integrated since the start, the Dineen coven was dedicated to turning willing slaves into vampires before turning them into freedmen and women. Those that didn’t want to be changed and those that were changed were escorted north with the help of other famous vampires who worked the underground railroad…”

“So, famous…you mean Harriet Tubman?”, Walter asked, “There’s no way she was a vampire…”

“Well, she wasn’t, she was a halfling…”, Oliver replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Back to my family’s history…”, Paige replied.

“So, the northern Rosen coven helped them, thus forming ties between north and south and then just before World War 2, your covens decided to merge and form the Appalachian coven because your grandparents became bonded mates. They wanted to be free from the _Vecchio Ordine_ , which didn’t go over very well with the Morettis. Joseph Dineen is your grandfather and he is mates with Amelia Rosen. The Rosen women were gifted with the powers of light. Your grandmother, Amelia, was best known by her battle title; Valkyrie. You carry her sword with you now.”

“How have I never heard of the Appalachian coven?”, Walter asked.

“Well, in order to capture the heads, the body must be eliminated…The _Vecchio Ordine_ sent many enforcers over and they killed the Appalachian coven before bringing your grandparents over here to be imprisoned.”

Paige glared at Oliver.

“So,”, she began, “if my grandparents are locked up and their covens were razed by the Morettis, my mother is god knows where, and my father is dead, how did I come to get this?”, she asked, making Valkyrie glow menacingly.

“There was a take-down at our most secure facility. Almost every enforcer and guard there is now Strigoi. During that time, your grandparents were released…their personal items were stolen from lockup…”

“We know who broke in.”, Walter blurted.

“Who?”

“Elisabetta with the help of Mark Collins…”

“This was a part of her plan all along.”, Oliver muttered, his eyes widening, “Bust out the gifted ones, kill the rulers, free the American covens and use her Strigoi to do it all…It all makes sense now…”

“What does?”

“The reason why we needed to defend them from you!”, Oliver exclaimed as Penelope stirred, “My second set of orders were direct from the Moretti rulers once they found out you were gifted, but they never told me which one gave the order, I always assumed that Elisabetta was the one giving the orders because she’s ruthless on her own, but she’s always opposed the killing and imprisonment of gifted vampires, although she’s done it somewhat quietly, always putting the bug in her father’s ear to imprison rather than kill, and he usually took her advice. It was Regina who gave death sentences and saw gifted vampires executed; she gave the order to have you watched. Regina assumed that if you knew the truth about what happened to the Appalachian coven, you would be strong enough to bring the _Vecchio Ordine_ crashing down, and, of course, Alfonso agreed.”

“Unbeknownst to them, Elisabetta was plotting the uprising. She knew it would take brainpower to overthrow her parents, so she got in with Collins who inevitably told her about my coven and then about you and Ralph.”, Walter added, “She already knew about you and Ralph from Drew, so she put two and two together.

“So, she got Collins in with Drew who then got to me…Once Drew was onto me, he got Collins following you.”, Paige chimed in.

“And then that was when Megan had a bad relapse, so I was visiting her every day, he could have easily followed me to the hospital, hacked the security cameras and found where she was.”, Walter replied.

Oliver went to interject.

“I had no knowledge of this--”

“Shut up.”, Walter and Paige told Oliver in unison before Paige continued.

“Collins took Megan’s mind, tried to make her kill herself, and then he figured, with her death, it would leave you vulnerable. At that time of vulnerability, Elisabetta would introduce herself, possibly paint Collins as an agent sent by her parents to destroy powerful covens with gifted vampires, get us on her side, get me changed, and get us ready to fight.”

“Instead, things played out a bit differently than expected; Megan survived and was changed and Collins was blinded. Drew was released from custody and then Elisabetta took both of them back to Rome for Drew’s training. Then she gets word about our coven entering protection and takes interest, so her parents block us in, knowing that we’re gifted.”

“May I cut in now?”, Oliver asked.

Paige nodded.

“The Morettis would have had you swear loyalty to them tonight, a guarantee that you wouldn’t leave the _Vecchio Ordine_. Elisabetta knew this, so she decided to kill her parents and let you go free. Now the enforcers that took Paige’s son— “

“Our son.”, Paige replied, gesturing between herself and Walter.

“Right, anyway, they were probably Elisabetta’s personal guards.”

“Where did they take him?”, Walter asked, electricity jumping from one hand to the other.

“You act as if I’d know.”, Oliver said with a smirk.

“I know you do.”, Walter replied.

“And what if I don’t say?”

“I’ll relieve you of your head.”, Paige threatened.

Oliver scoffed at them.

“For everything I just told you, Regina Moretti will be fighting you for the blade…”

“Fine.”, Paige said, fully igniting and hovering her hand over Penelope’s abdomen, “It sickens me to threaten you like this because I consider Penelope a friend and your children are innocent, but tell me where our son is or I burn your wife alive.”

“You won’t…you don’t have the stomach.”, Oliver said, his tone wavering, as if he wasn’t sure that Paige wouldn’t do it.

Walter drew his stake and placed it against the base of Oliver’s skull, almost daring him to move.  

“She will do it…”, Walter murmured, honestly surprised at the sincerity in Paige’s scent. She was intent on ending not only one innocent life if she had to, but three, and that frightened him a little, “and when she does, I won’t stop her…I don’t want to see my mate become a killer any more than you want to see yours barbecued, but just like Penelope and those twins mean the world to you, Ralph means the world to us. Now, where is he?”

“I still think you’re bluffing…”, Oliver said, sounding less and less certain.

“Go ahead! Fucking try me!”, Paige screamed, her fires jumping dangerously close to Penelope, her eyes darkening.

“Please…Just tell them where he is…”, Penelope whispered.

There was a tense moment of silence and Oliver broke.

“Fine. Fine…he’s probably been taken to the office of the heir near parliamentary hall.”, Oliver replied, before giving them directions to get to it.

“If your directions lead us into a trap…I will do that whole phoenix apparition or whatever it’s called, I will find you, and I will reduce you to ashes where you stand.”, Paige said to Oliver before rising and enveloping herself and Walter in her wings before they were zapped to another place.

It was a large, quiet hall with raised, arena-like seating, and she doused her flames before dropping onto the rich carpeting.

“This looks like the UN.”, Paige murmured, walking deeper into the center of the room.

“You’ve been to the UN?”, Walter asked, looking up at the painting on the ceiling.

“I’ve seen videos and pictures…”, she replied.  

Walter paused, running his gauntlet-covered hand over a mahogany table.

“What you did back there was terrifying…”, he murmured.

“What? The threat?”, Paige asked.

“Yes.”

Paige glanced at Walter.

“I would kill for Ralph.”, she replied simply, “When I was making that threat, I was thinking about all the horrible things they could be doing to him…I needed Oliver to feel the same terror I did and it worked.”

“That makes sense.”, Walter replied, “I’ve just never seen you act like that…”

“It wasn’t an act, and I pray you never will again…”, Paige said with a note of finality, “I’m not proud of what I said, but if it’s what gets me to Ralph, then it was worth it.”

“Would you have really killed Penelope if he hadn’t told you?”

“No. But I would have still tortured him.”, she replied simply, “I read up on what a burned vampire looks like...their flesh turns to ash…”

“That’s awfully dark…”, Walter replied, looking around the room.

“Well, things took a turn for the worse with this whole situation…I mean, this is an all-out war right now, we _thought_ Elisabetta was the enemy but Alfonso and Regina, mainly Regina, were the ones doing the most harm, she just exposed them...Scorpion is in the crossfire here...we don’t know who we can trust or where to go, Ralph was taken off to God knows where, my grandparents are probably around here somewhere and our coven is fighting against someone's Strigoi right now, and let’s not forget that we’re supposed to save everybody because that’s what we do…”

“True, but, the whole saving everyone aspect is far easier said than done…”, Walter replied as the scent of a halfling invaded his nostrils, “In this instance, we’ll save who we can…”

Before Paige could respond, Zehra stepped from the shadows of the upper level of the hall, her light blue hijab and gown flecked with blood and her hands covered in more blood.

The silver stake in her hand was also coated and shimmered a deep red.

Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were set in a hard line but she looked right through them as a light breeze shifted her black trench coat. 

“Zehra?”, Walter whispered, catching her attention.

She raised a finger to her lips and mouthed the words _“behind you”_ to them.

Walter turned around and saw pure red eyes staring back from the shadows, then noticed more and more of them appearing in the darkness.

“Paige…”, he whispered as she turned on her heel.

“I see them…”, she breathed, “but why didn’t we smell them?”

“Must be a more potent version of the stuff Drew had in the park, but does it matter? They’re here now and we’re outnumbered.”, Walter replied, “What should we do? If you ignite, this is all wood and carpeting…you’ll burn the place to the ground and I could do the same with my gifts…”

“Then we stake them in the heart.”, Paige replied, unsheathing the silver stake at her hip and making all the Strigoi hiss at her.

Before they could respond, Zehra threw herself down and landed in front of them with Anthony by her side.

“You go, we’ll hold them off…”, Anthony said.

“But there’s so many of them and only two of you and all of Elisabetta’s Strigoi…”, Paige said, “It’s suicide.”

“Ralph is more important than you realize, and with both fire and water, he could be the most powerful elemental vampire the world has ever seen…”, Zehra replied, “You need to find him fast. Elisabetta has him, but she’s protecting him…we don’t know how long her defenses will hold…”

 “And these aren’t Elisabetta’s Strigoi…They’re Alfonso’s… and they aren’t after you, they’re after Ralph and his scent is on you…”, Anthony replied, the Strigoi walking out of the shadows, dressed in all red and black; the Moretti royal colors.

“We know what sort of sacrifice we’re making…”, Zehra murmured, “And it’s for the good of everyone…”

Anthony nodded in agreement.

“The greater good theory…”, Walter mumbled, feeling numb as the Strigoi formed a semicircle around the two halflings.

“Go, NOW!”, Zehra shouted and Walter obeyed, with Paige behind him.

 _“We’re Scorpion and we’re supposed to save everybody.”_ She thought, stopping in her tracks and watching Walter’s retreating form.

She turned back and vaulted herself off the mahogany desk and ignited, her wings carrying her. She placed herself in between the Strigoi and Zehra and Anthony, causing the Strigoi to shriek and shield their eyes.

Walter felt himself freeze at the top of the hall as he realized that Paige wasn’t with him and he looked down in horror as Paige reigned in her flames and began fighting the blinded Strigoi.

Every swing of her sword cut down another Strigoi and he felt his heart stop as a particularly strong Strigoi grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet.

“PAIGE!”, he cried as she began to lose control of her flames.

As her oxygen supply dwindled, so did her flames. He saw the Strigoi leaning in, baring his fangs, preparing to drain his mate as she struggled in vain to get away, and before he knew what was happening, he was leaping down with his fangs bared and his silver stake in hand, landing on the Strigoi’s back and stabbing him multiple times in the neck, bolts of energy charging his stake, electrocuting the Strigoi with every plunge.

He dropped Paige with a screech and Walter was thrown back against the wall where he struggled to stand, his boots sliding on the blood and venom-soaked carpet, his feet slipping and catching on random entrails.

He was sprayed with a pink liquid (blood and venom, he figured) as Paige roared and used two hands to swing Valkyrie and strike off the Strigoi’s head with a single blow.

When the headless Strigoi fell to his knees and keeled over, Walter was met with a venom-soaked version of his mate and she was beautiful and terrifying, a force to be reckoned with for sure.

He shakily got to his feet and backed up against a pillar, gasping as if he couldn’t breathe.

Her lips were ruby red but the makeup was running and it looked like blood, those lips that he had kissed were twisted in a crazed leer and her tongue darted out to wet them, catching on her fangs.

He felt his electricity jolt down his spine and he could not believe how terrified, yet aroused, he was by this sudden display of his mate’s dangerous power.

Her eyes glowed like embers and her eye makeup was running down her face in inky black tear tracks, the sword in her hands glowed and glinted menacingly in the low light, venom slipping down the blade. Her hair was back off her face and fluttered in the heat rising from her body, the intricate feathers and flames design in her armor glowed red, ready to ignite at any moment. Her breath left her body in a hiss as she bared her fangs and lunged towards Walter.

She was a vampire possessed, and he closed his eyes and shielded himself from the blow he was sure would kill him.

Instead, her sword pierced something behind him and he froze as, simultaneously, she got close enough to kiss him and burn him and he felt the final, icy breath of another Strigoi wash across the back of his neck and raise goosebumps all over his skin.

She was heat and life, passion and fire against his front; the Strigoi was the icy chill of death incarnate against his back.

Paige saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was afraid.

She had done something utterly reckless, but here were Anthony and Zehra, and they were still alive because of them.

Hell, even Walter had saved her.

She had been on the verge of blacking out and being turned Strigoi herself when Walter had stabbed her attacker in the throat.

That had been pretty terrifying, seeing Walter with eyes narrowed and fangs bared falling from the darkness into the fray, but she had been more afraid when the other Strigoi that she just killed had poked its head from around the column and had raised its claws to Walter.

He had almost been turned as well.

“I’m sorry.”, Paige murmured.

“It’s fine…we’re all here…we’re all alive and that’s what matters…”, he replied, wanting to fall into her arms, the look in her eyes conveying that she wanted to nest herself in his arms as well, but this was not the time nor the place.

“Quick. We need to burn the bodies…drag them out onto the balcony and pile them up…”, Anthony cut in, snapping both of them out of their intense stare.

 “We need to find Ralph, too…”, Walter replied as he tossed a couple of heads onto the growing pile of bodies.

Zehra was taking pictures of the heads with a grim look on her face.

“Why are you doing that?”, Paige asked the halfling as she mechanically swung her sword and beheaded the corpses, making sure that they were dead and jumping when the odd head would still make a face and hiss or snap silently at her even though it was separated from its body.

 “I’m going to go to the missing persons department after this is over and see if any of these faces match the pictures of some of the vampires or halflings that have been reported missing by their covens…I’ll contact them one by one.”

“Assuming we still have a missing persons department when all of this is over…”, Anthony said before throwing down the last body and turning to Paige expectantly.

“Okay Phoenix, do your thing…”, he said and gestured to the pile.

“But won’t the families want the remains?”, she asked.

“When vampires and halflings die, it is a tradition in many places not to weep over the physical remains, but rather remember and document their lives.”, Anthony replied, “During a natural death, a vampire will draw their last breath and then, for some, that is the end, however, I believe that their soul will pass into the next life. About five minutes later, their bodies collapse into ash on their own.”

“Since we are unable to mourn the body itself, we mourn the soul or spirit and cherish their memory.”, Zehra replied.

“When you put it that way…”, Paige said and then stepped out onto the balcony, slowly igniting.

She unfurled her wings and went down on one knee with her head bowed, as if in prayer, before glancing at Walter.

He saw the pained look in her eyes and knew that she held herself responsible for these deaths.

He wished that there was some way to tell her that she didn’t kill them and that their fates had been sealed by Alfonso Moretti, that he had actually killed them, but now was not the time nor the place and she would take a while to heal from this.

She reached back and took a single flaming feather from her wing, held it in her palms for a moment and then gently blew it off of her hands.

It drifted down onto the corpses as she rose to her feet and stepped back.

The moment it touched the first body, the feather turned into an inferno, which quickly engulfed the rest of the corpses.

They all turned away and let the pyre burn and Paige extinguished herself before sheathing her sword and slipping her hand into Walter’s.

Walter didn’t speak, he understood the pain she felt, because he was beginning to feel it too.   

 Anthony was the first to speak.

“We don’t know where Ralph is, but we have located the rest of your coven, so they might have heard or seen something that would be helpful in finding him.”

“We heard he was in the office of the heir…”, Paige replied.

Anthony and Zehra shared a confused look.

“There’s no such place…” “Who told you that?”, came their respective responses.

Paige’s hair caught fire in anger.

“Oliver Guthridge, that lying bastard…I should have burned him when I had the chance…”, Paige replied, facing Walter, “I knew he was lying! I knew it! I could feel it in my gut!”

Tears began to flow down her cheeks as her hair turned back to normal and Walter took her hands.

“We’ll find him…don’t worry…”, Walter said, unsure if he was reassuring himself or Paige, because hearing that they had been lied to and that Ralph was lost made him feel like the earth had been pulled from beneath his feet.

“But we do know where the rest of your coven is.”, Anthony reiterated, “I know it isn’t what you wanted to hear, but it’s the best chance we have of finding Ralph at this point, other than somehow begging for a ceasefire or something…Which would probably only get us killed at this point, because they’re beginning to lose control of their Strigoi…”

“What do you mean?”, Paige asked, “I thought that if you made the Strigoi then you controlled them…”

“When you have a lot of Strigoi being controlled by a single Moroi, there’s more of a chance for those Strigoi to go against their programming, if you will, and give into their blood lust…that’s why there are so many injured and dead bystanders. If there were less Strigoi, however, the few that remained would be made stronger…The few that we killed just now were easy to bring down because they were a part of a larger army.” 

“Good to know, but where is our coven?”, Paige asked.

“They are supposedly guarding the wounded in the hospital we’ve set up in the Hall of Transformation…”, Zehra replied, “You see, there are many beds in there that we use for mass changing ceremonies, we thought it best to use them.”

“Not to mention the fact that we do have a lot of medical equipment there…sometimes we get hopefuls who are on some form of life support and we need them to be alive when we change them, so we sometimes have to use our equipment to do that…”

“Especially in the cases of emergency transformations…”, Zehra added as they approached a lone male vampire that they didn’t know.

“Halt and state your names, your covens, and your business!”, came a female’s voice from above them and they jumped.

“I’d listen if I were you…”, the male vampire added in a smooth New Orleans accent as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I am Anthony Calamita, covenless halfling and former enforcer of the _Vecchio Ordine_. I no longer take orders from Regina or Alfonso…I am freely operating under my own agency. My business is escorting two vampires to their coven.”

“My name is Zehra Leon, halfling and heiress to the Moroccan branch of the Leon coven. I, too, am a halfling and former enforcer operating under my own agency, my business is the same.”

“And those you are escorting?”, came the same female voice from above, and Paige noticed that the female voice also spoke with a New Orleans accent.

Walter stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“I am Walter O’Brien, head of the Scorpion coven. I am here to locate the rest of my coven and find my son.”, he said before nodding to Paige.

“I am Paige Dineen…or O’Brien, depending on how you view coven dynamics…I am the heiress of the Scorpion coven and I am here to find my coven and find my son.”

“Fascinating…”, came the disembodied female voice again, “What do you think, Julian, think we can let them pass?” 

The vampire standing at the end of the hall tilted his head and rubbed his thumb along his jaw.

“I don’t know, Rochelle, what do you think?”, he asked in a smooth voice, raising an eyebrow.

A low, sultry laugh echoed through the hall and the shadows slid from the walls like raindrops down a windowpane and they slithered along the floor to congregate behind Julian before they formed a woman with medium brown skin, deep crimson eyes, pearly fangs, and curly brown hair. She was tall and shapely, sported black lipstick and dramatic winged eyeliner and her corseted black dress accentuated her body, the slit in the side cutting straight up to her mid-thigh, teasing a look at the thigh high fishnet stockings she had on. Her nails were shaped into the perfect stiletto styles and painted a deep red wine color.

“I think we should let them pass…Especially that O’Brien…He’s quite the charmer… and his mate agrees…my, my, my does she agree….”, she purred, wrapping her arms around Julian’s neck, “But, goodness me, that Anthony gentleman has eyes for you, dear Julian…And isn’t Lady O’Brien quite the snack herself?”

“Can we at least get your names and covens?”, Anthony asked, eyeing up Julian, who grinned back, “It’s only fair…”

“My name is Julian Leroux and this is my lovely Queen of Shadows herself, Rochelle Cartier-Leroux, my mate…”

“But we prefer company in our bedroom…after all, my favorite thing is a _ménage á trois_ …”, she said with a wink before blowing a kiss in Paige’s direction.

“So, you’re the heads of the New Orleans coven.”, Walter asked, ignoring the sexually charged atmosphere.

“Oh yes, darling…”, Rochelle replied.

“Now y’all need to scoot because your coven is waiting and your son needs you, so we’re gonna let y’all pass, but don’t be strangers, especially not you two…”, Julian replied, pointing at Paige and Walter, “Rumor has it that you could be shaping up to be the coven in America with the most geniuses…We’d love to sit down and make allies with the best and brightest…”

Rochelle opened the door and ushered them in.

“Take care, now, I hope you find your son and I do apologize if we were too forward…”, She said kindly, “Folks round here are awful straight laced, so when you’re open about things like an open bond, it isn’t looked at too kindly...Not to mention that this is hardly the time or the place…”

 _“That’s pretty much become the theme of the evening, though…”,_ Walter thought.

Paige smiled back at the other woman and replied.

“We appreciate the offer”, Paige began before Walter cut her off.

“We do?”

Paige ignored him and continued,

“But we’re happily in a closed bond relationship…I hope that you can find some willing partners, though…”

Rochelle smiled.

“You’re too kind, but I understand…Open relationships aren’t for everyone, but Julian and I would love it if you and Walter brought the coven down for a visit some time…just as purely platonic friends, of course... After all, I make a divine jambalaya and I’d hate for y’all to miss out on it.”

“We’ll be in touch.”, Paige replied and nodded kindly.    

“Be safe, okay?”, Rochelle said and closed the door.

They inhaled sharply as they saw the massive amounts of wounded vampires and halflings before them.

The dead were laid out rather unceremoniously at the raised platform at the front of the hall, and Paige felt her throat constrict as she saw Niles’s lifeless, bloodless body covered in multiple bite wounds being cradled by a very pale, grief-stricken, yet silent Victoria. Flynn was by her side, sniffling as he held his dead brother’s hand. 

Hazel was sitting cross-legged on a bed with Mitchell in her lap and she fought tears as a healer stitched up a deep wound on his leg. Mitchell was sobbing openly and whether it was from the stitches or Niles, Paige didn’t know.

Paige pulled the small bottle of her tears out of her utility belt and walked over to Niles’s body as Walter watched from a distance.

He had never been good at dealing with grief and other strong emotions and, unfortunately, not even his bond would help with that.

Paige knelt down beside Victoria and, as the grieving mother hugged her tight, Paige began to feel tears forming on their own, so she replaced the bottle and leaned out of Victoria’s hug.

“I don’t know if this will work, but it’s worth a shot.”, she said, pointing to her eyes, and Victoria nodded as Paige leaned over Niles and blinked, her teardrops falling on the boy’s corpse.

The air was tense and the seconds seemed to drag by as they waited.

Niles remained still and unmoving.

“I’m sorry…”, Paige murmured uselessly.

“S’ okay…I-I suppose that sometimes even gifts f-fail…”, Victoria replied, her watery voice shaking as Hazel carried Mitchell over to where his brother laid, “I-If you don’t mind…I’d like to be with my family right now…”, she whispered and Paige nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder before rising to her feet and giving Hazel a silent hug before walking back to Walter, whom had been observing from a distance.

“Have you seen anyone yet?”, Paige asked, looking around, her eyes not meeting the dead or those surrounding them, almost like she was certain they weren’t gone altogether.

Walter tore her eyes from Victoria and Hazel and scanned the room.

Then he saw Megan pointing and then she and Happy were running through the crowds.

Walter pointed to the pair as they came to stop at the bed of a victim.

“There.”

Megan paused and looked at the open air above the injured vampire, her eyes wide, glowing white, and searching.

“Quick, we still have time.”, she spoke.

Happy rushed to the side of a female vampire who looked like she had had half her foot torn off by Strigoi and she was screaming in agony as the healers tightened the tourniquet around her lower calf and said something about amputating the rest of the foot.

Toby appeared and stood by the head of the vampire and smoothed over her hair, murmuring soothing words and then glanced to the healers who nodded back.

Happy bravely stood by and grasped the vampire’s hand and Walter and Paige didn’t move as Sylvester, Megan, and Cabe placed their hands on Happy’s shoulders, and many other vampires came from the bedsides of other injured vampires and placed their hands on their shoulders, forming a group.

“They don’t have enough pain medication, so they’re going to sedate her by sharing her pain…”, Walter murmured and grasped Paige’s hand, “We need to help them…”

Paige and Walter ran to them and placed a hand on Sylvester’s arm.

He barely noticed them; his eyes were closed and he was silent, as if in prayer.

The female vampire on the table fell silent and an odd look of serenity passed over her face before all of them winced as dull pain radiated down their right legs.

“Cautery tools are in use by other teams right now, do we have any gifted people in the crowd for that?”, the main healer said, not looking up from the mangled foot as the non-essential healers who had been holding the vampire down reached over and grasped Happy’s other hand, taking some of the pain as the healer sawed through bones and ligaments.

Paige pulled away shakily, feeling the pain ebb and flow from her.

“I can do it.”, she said and then looked down at the procedure, bile rising in her esophagus as she smelled the blood and venom gushing from the wound, and heard her heartbeat thudding in her ears, punctuated by the sound of sawing, “Just show me where you need it.”

“Heat this scalpel and I’ll show you where I need it applied.”, the healer replied, handing a scalpel to Paige who obeyed, heating the blade until it glowed slightly.

The entire group recoiled when they heard the dull thud of the foot falling to the floor.  

 Paige put the thought of it out of her mind as she cauterized the area and soon she was finished and the carefully rationed pain medication was brought over to get the vampire through the rest of the procedure. The group of pain management people didn’t disperse until the pain medication had set in.

Megan glanced up again, her eyes glowing for a second and she nodded.

“She’ll live.”

Paige wiped the blood from her armor, which only made it smear, and faced the team.

“Where’s Ralph?”, she asked, rounding on the rest of them.

“Well, it’s good to see that you and Walter are alive, too.”, Toby replied, “Seriously, one moment you were there and the next you were gone, we thought you had disintegrated or something…Megan thought that you were both lying in ashes somewhere and started calling the shots…”

 “Listen, I’m glad you’re all alive and in one piece and I’m glad Megan stepped up, but where is Ralph and why did you let him just get taken like that?”, Paige asked.

The team exchanged glances.

Sylvester was wringing his hands.

“This was well before we found out that Regina and Alfonso were the bad guys…”, the mathematician replied, “We thought they were trying to protect him…We went looking for him and wound up here.”

“We met two other vampires named Rochelle and Julian out in the hall and they were standing guard but they warned us that it wasn’t safe, that Rochelle had seen Strigoi moving in the area, so we figured it was best to stay put and help here…”, Megan added.

“Well, lucky for you, those were Elisabetta’s enforcers, and he’s supposedly with her.”, Walter replied, “Though we have no clue where…”

Paige filled the rest of the coven in on Oliver and how his lie almost got them killed by Strigoi.

“We have to find him and get him to tell us where Ralph really is…I have to get out of here…”, Megan said, “I’m starting to see people’s soul lines…”

“What?”, Paige asked.

“Soul lines…that’s what most vampires call them because the earliest vampires, the ancient Babylonian ones, that is, had a different name that nobody can seem to pronounce… Diana had me reading about them once… the book states that in a place of pain and death, the vampires with the third eye, AKA oracles, would be able to sense the passing energies and often see them as they rise from the bodies…Like right now, all I’m able to see are these golden ribbons rising from the dying… once they start to fade, I know that they’re on their way to being dead and that the time to act is upon us…”

“And once they’re dead, they can’t be healed…”, Paige said, glancing towards Hazel and Victoria, a gnawing, guilty sensation spreading through her gut.

 “Sadly, no…”, Walter murmured, grasping Paige’s hand tightly.

“But that’s why we need to find Ralph…he’s not safe out there…”, Paige said, speaking clearly, shaking off the grief and locking it away in a steel trap at the back of her mind.

“Paige, the entire villa is enormous and the place is crawling with Strigoi…”, Happy said, “I mean, just how are we going to find him with just ourselves in a place this big?”

“We’ll have to find a way.”, Walter said, “It isn’t like us to give up so easily when faced with a seemingly impossible situation…”

“Happy is right, we can’t split up because of the Strigoi problem, and we can’t move as a team because we won’t be able to cover enough ground.”, Sylvester replied, “Our probability of finding him in time either way is exceptionally low, Walter, I don’t need to remind you of that…”

“We should break into teams, then…”, Cabe said, finally speaking, “I can’t believe you geniuses are backing down from saving the one person who means the world to all of us…because it’s ‘too dangerous’ out there? Ralph could be on his own! He might be smarter than all of us, but he hasn’t got any gifts or powers yet, he’s only a fledgling…Now, you see that couple over there next to Hazel and Victoria?”

 The entire coven turned to look at the aforementioned couple and Paige’s heart almost stopped when she saw the child they were crying over.

It was a little blonde girl, probably no older than Ralph, and her parents were absolutely distraught.

“That is Bruce and Thea Feldman, I was speaking to them before the bloodshed began… That was their daughter, Sara…she was a fledgling and she was the same age as Ralph…look at what happened to her…”, Cabe said, his voice shaking.

Happy grabbed Toby’s hand and squeezed as Thea held her daughter’s bloodless corpse to her chest.

“The Strigoi didn’t care that both her parents were gifted or not or that Bruce was the head of their coven, they attacked Sara anyway, ripped her right from her father’s arms and killed her….”, Cabe said, blinking away the memory of his own daughter being held to Rebecca’s chest after she died.

Walter felt his throat constricting and turned back to the team.

“That is why we need to find Ralph…”, he replied.

“I’m in.”, “Megan said and Sylvester nodded, Toby and Happy following suit.

Diana had been standing nearby joined their circle, as did Bruno, Maria, Santana, and Kim. Zehra and Anthony headed over as well.

“We all overheard what you said, Cabe…”, Santana said, looking around to the rest of their group, “We want in…”

“We might be old and we may not be gifted, but we’re on your side.”, Bruno added, Maria nodding in agreement.

“Besides, you have enough people here who know the layout of this place for each team to succeed.”, Diana supplied, “We’ll find Ralph in no time.”

“And I found something that will help us with that.”, Paige practically growled and Walter followed her eyes across the room to where a couple of healers were carrying Penelope in on a stretcher with Oliver right beside her.

“Paige, lets at least take this out in the hall before we do anything.”

“Fair enough.”

Several seconds and a lot of scuffling later, Julian and Rochelle were suddenly overwhelmed by all the vampires in their hallway.

Oliver was smirking as Sylvester held him against the wall with one of his shields, which was partially so he wouldn’t escape and partially so that Paige wouldn’t turn him to ash before he could give up Ralph’s location.

“Where is he?”, Cabe asked.

“Because the office of the heir or whatever you told them, isn’t a real place…”, Anthony said.

“And no tricks this time… I have a built-in lie detector, so I’ll know if you’re being honest…”, Toby added.

“Fine…I’ll tell you where your little brat is…but what’s in it for me?”, Oliver spat.

“You live long enough to see your children born, then I make sure you never see the light of day again.”, Diana hissed, “How… _why_ , would you ever do something like this?”

Oliver shrugged.

“Mind control?”, he replied carelessly.

“He’s not under mind control now, my shield blocks all that…”, Sylvester clarified.

“Can you lift it for a second, I want to see something…”, Julian said, walking over to Oliver.

 Sylvester nodded and lifted his shield, a glassy look filling Oliver’s eyes.

 “Just as I suspected…he is being controlled by someone…”, Julian turned to Rochelle, “What do you think it is?”

“Definitely not modern…this is old power here…”, Rochelle said, stepping closer, “He looks like he’s dead…”, she muttered.

Just then and unknown to the rest of them, Anthony took on that same, deadened look, his eyes turning glassy as well, and before any of them knew what was happening, Anthony grabbed Megan by her neck and began to choke her.

Megan began clawing at Anthony’s hands, but he quickly overpowered her and she began to lose consciousness, her face turning red as she struggled to breathe.

Zehra began hitting Anthony and they all began trying to pull him off of her, Sylvester forgetting about Oliver before yelling, “Get the hell off her!”, and tackling Anthony to the floor, which successfully broke his grip on Megan, but pulled her down with them.

Rochelle glanced between the two enforcers and noticed that they both wore the Moretti crest on a chain around their necks.

“Of course,”, she said, looking between all of the former _Vecchio Ordine_ enforcers, noticing how they all wore the same crest and chain, “Amulets…”, she murmured, before yelling, “Get their necklaces off, all of those amulets can be used to control them! Take them off!”

Zehra ducked behind a curtain and pulled Paige with her, grabbing at her hijab.

“Zehra, what is going on?”, Paige asked, fearing that she would be the next one to get attacked.

“I have to take off my hijab to get to the necklace, and my religion dictates that I can only be seen without it by my husband or other women, and I’m not married, so you’ve got to help me out here.”, Zehra replied, her long dark hair falling down in a loose braid from under her headscarf, and Paige pushed it aside as she found the clasp on the chain and removed it.

Zehra began hastily redoing her hijab and offered her thanks as Paige backed out with the amulet in hand.

A small pile of amulets was forming on the floor and Julian had gone back into the hospital to collect them off of other people.

Rochelle studied one, holding it carefully.

“See that marking on the back of the stone? That’s not a mark of the creator, it’s the symbol for the mind, and the stone is not an onyx…it’s black tourmaline, which is believed by some to be more attuned to the frequencies of the mind gifts…the controller would wear onyx because it is seen as a guard against mental attacks…the one that they wish to control would wear the black tourmaline, because it amplifies the ability to control…”, Rochelle explained, “Of course, that is all theory, but it is interesting nonetheless.”

“Well, now what?”, Walter asked, looking at Paige and the rest of the coven.

“We still have Oliver…”, Cabe said and Paige marched over to Oliver, who was leaning against a wall with a smug look on his face.

“Oh no, Miss Phoenix, come to turn me to ash?”, he chided.

Paige grabbed him by the ear and pinched hard and Oliver’s face contorted in pain as she brought him to his knees.

“Listen to me, and listen good, I want Ralph, okay, not some bullshit lie, not some mind trick, okay?”, she growled.

Oliver nodded as best as he could.

“Alright then, since you’ve agreed to help, tell me where he is…”

Paige’s grip on his ear tightened when he didn’t talk.

“Ow, ow, ow.”

“Spit it out or I rip your ear off.”, Paige said.

“Okay, okay! He’s in the library…Elisabetta has him and there are loads of Alfonso’s Strigoi in the way! The library is located at the eastern end of the villa, near the water, there’s a courtyard you have to go through! Now would you let me go?!”, he confessed.

“Not until you tell us how to get there on the path with the least Strigoi.”, Walter replied, stepping closer to where Paige had Oliver on his knees.  

Oliver whimpered and told them how to get there.

“…Then once you’re on the other side of Parliamentary Hall, you’re going to want to follow the back staircase up two levels until you see the hall with all the paintings and art, there shouldn’t be any carpeting, if you see carpet, you’re going to be ambushed. If you turn right and go down the hallway, there’s a mirror on the left side that has an inscription over it in Latin that reads _"Vivitur ingenio, caetera mortis erunt."_ , go through that mirror, it’s a hidden door. There shouldn’t be any Strigoi in that passageway because that was a part of the plan.”

“Really, they wanted to quote Vesalius?”, Toby asked, incredulously, “‘Genius lives on, all else is mortal’?”

“Wasn’t he also a vampire?”, Sylvester asked.

“No.”, Toby replied.

“Huh, that is weird.”, Sylvester said.

“What do you mean by the plan? What plan?”, Happy asked.    

“…Trapping Elisabetta, well, that was according to the original plan, we didn’t care if anyone got hurt in the process, mainly because we didn’t expect her to join forces with Mark Collins, who is capable of taking control of a group of Strigoi without having to become Moroi himself. It was all part of Regina and Alfonso’s original plan to disown Elisabetta…Scorpion just got caught up in it all because the ruling couple thought that you’d make good weapons…”

“So, they wanted to use us against her?”, Walter asked angrily.

Oliver shrugged.

“As I said, they started taking a greater interest in you after we found out about Megan. Paige, well, she was just like the icing on top of the cake that is your wonderful, gifted coven.”   

“One more question,”, Kim asked, “Why did you do all this, what would the benefit be for you, you’re already a top enforcer with a cushy job and a stunning house… What more could you want?”

“Elisabetta is adopted, she’s not the true heir…her parents are the ones I pledged my loyalty to, not her. With her traitorous actions and Regina and Alfonso’s plan to disown her, I knew they’d never formally announce her to be their heir, they’d rather choose one of their most loyal subjects to take over, sort of how the covens of old did things, so when I heard it through the grapevine that Elisabetta was plotting, I learned all I could and decided to play hero.”

“And you were hoping that through your false heroics, you would prove to be their most loyal subject?”, Diana asked, an incredulous tone in her voice, “Hazel and Victoria will never let that happen…because of your meddling and secrecy, Niles is dead.”

The maniacal look in Oliver’s eyes broke and shattered.

“Niles?”

Walter felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned.

There stood Hazel and Victoria with Penelope, who looked much better, an empty bottle of tears in her hand.

“What was all of that?”, Hazel asked, her voice deadly calm.

“You knew and didn’t tell us?”, Victoria asked, “Because of your disgusting need for approval, people are dead, _our Niles is dead_ …”

“You would put my life at risk, even risk the lives of your unborn children, just to get a promotion?”, Penelope asked, her hands closing protectively around her belly, tears in her eyes, “You deserve whatever horrific execution you have coming to you…and if Hazel and Victoria don’t do it now, I hope that whoever comes out on top will make it just as gruesome.”, she said, pulling her wedding band and engagement ring off and flinging them at him, “Enforcement means to serve and protect everyone, not serve your own needs and protect your ego…I never want to see your face again…”

Penelope stepped back and patted Hazel on the shoulder.

“Get to it…”, Victoria murmured, “I want to watch…”

“With pleasure…”, Hazel said, her voice dripping with venom.

“Hazel, please…”, Oliver pleaded but Hazel lifted her hand and pulled him to his feet with her gifts. Paige released him and stepped back, “You’d really kill your own brother?”

“Your selfishness killed countless people and threatened the lives of countless more, you’ve broken your vows of enforcement with the highest level of disrespect for innocent life, not to mention the murder of our son and countless others, and therefore, I, Hazel Guthridge, do sentence you to death.”

“You can’t do this.”, Oliver said, beginning to panic, “The only people who are qualified to hand out orders like that are the heads of a coven…Mum and dad are nowhere-“

Robert and Alicia stepped from the shadows.

“Julian located us inside the hospital and told us everything…We heard your confession ourselves and we agree…”, Robert spoke evenly as Alicia’s face was hardened, her lips set in a tight line.

“You’d kill your own son?”, Oliver asked as Hazel cast open the window behind him and Victoria picked up his amulet off the floor, throwing it out the window.

Walter felt a chill roll down his spine and they all heard the hissing of many Strigoi in the courtyard several stories below as they were met with a new scent; Oliver’s scent.

“You’re no son of mine.”, Alicia spat.

“Have you any last words?”, Bruno asked.

Oliver cast a fearful look towards the Scorpion coven.

“Walter, Paige! Please, I implore you, have mercy!”, he cried out.

 Walter gulped and glanced at Paige, who ignited her wings and pulled a flaming feather from one of them.

He knew what was happening, knew that the dangerous side of his mate was returning.

“I won’t grant you mercy.”, Paige said in a steady voice, stepping towards him with the feather in hand, “I don’t know if Ralph is alive or dead or if he is actually safe… I will, however, dignify you with the knowledge that your charred remains will never be found and you will not become one of the Strigoi…”  

Oliver gave a final panicked look of desperation before Hazel’s eyes darkened and she hissed, “Goodbye, brother.”, before throwing him out of the window.

Oliver screamed on the way down, and, instead of his body landing with a sickening crunch against the cobblestones, the screams intensified as the Strigoi tore him apart, until they eventually ceased. Paige released her feather out of the window and the Strigoi hissed in warning before screeching as their venom-filled bodies ignited almost instantaneously.

Paige turned away as a jet of fire came up behind her, and she was backlit for a second, leaving Walter and the rest of the assembled vampires to watch her in awe and fear. 

“I’m sorry that you won’t be able to add those Strigoi to your missing persons list.”, Paige said to Zehra, breaking everyone out of their stupor, “Come on, we have to get to Ralph.”, she said as she walked away down the darkened hallway, the flames dancing below them.

As she went, a single, injured Strigoi raced from the dark, hissing and spitting at them.

Paige unsheathed Valkyrie, set the sword aflame, and beheaded her in a single blow, cutting part of her shoulder as she went before kicking the burning body down a flight of marble steps.

Zehra took a picture of the head and then tossed it out of the window into the courtyard inferno.  

Walter came up to Paige and began walking with her.

Her face was stoic and she carried herself with fierce determination, leading everyone in their combined group, with Diana calling out directions every few feet.

“Paige?”, Walter asked as he fell into step beside her.

“Hmm?”, Paige hummed in response, raising her eyebrows and not looking at him, as if they weren’t waking through a war zone with ultra-powerful vampire zombie creatures around each corner…as if they were back at the garage and he had just asked her what type of cream cheese she wanted on her bagel. 

“When we find Ralph, what do we do then?”, he asked.

“We get the hell out of here…I do not want my son, _our son_ , exposed to this level of violence and bloodshed, hell, I wish I hadn’t seen or done some of the things that have happened here…”, she replied, deadly serious.

“Well, that’s not possible, we have to save as many people as we can, like you said…”, Walter replied.

Paige rounded on him.

“Look, that was when I was still optimistic about finding him in time. Now I’m afraid…What if we’re too late? What if he’s dead? What if his last memory of the coven, of us, was of the closest thing to family that he has,”, she gestured to the rest of Scorpion, “letting him get snatched up like that?”

Paige’s hair began rising on mirages of heat, embers pulsing in her eyes.

“But, the prophecy-“, Megan began, hesitantly.

“I couldn’t care less about the prophecy…”, Paige snapped, her hair flaming out in a brief spike of emotion before returning to normal, “I want to hold my baby…and if I have to burn every Strigoi to ashes myself just to get to him, so help me God, I will do it.”

This time, she didn’t bother correcting herself as she turned away and kept walking.

Walter didn’t mind.

Ralph was, for all intents and purposes, _their son_ , but for Paige, and Paige alone, Ralph would always be _her baby_.

As they walked, they realized that Hazel, Penelope, and Victoria had gone back to the hospital to take Rochelle and Julian’s places standing guard.

Paige didn’t fault them for that. Penelope looked like she could give birth any minute, and Hazel and Victoria had Flynn and Mitchell to look after and funeral arrangements to make for Niles.

Alicia and Robert went back with them to rally the remaining elders and enforcers to help them hunt down Alfonso and overthrow him. With Robert’s powers of language, he would no doubt serve as a temporary head of whatever the _Vecchio Ordine_ had now become before a new ruler could be chosen.

It was important work and Paige knew it, but she was a little disheartened when they left the group.

They finally reached the hall without the carpet and looked down the hall to find the mirror being guarded by an older redhaired woman and a man with darker hair and prominent cheekbones, both in armor.

Both of them looked like they were malnourished and terribly pale, to the point where Paige wondered if they weren’t a pair of incredibly well-behaved Strigoi.

 Walter narrowed his eyes as he took in the facial features on both the man and woman and found something oddly familiar about them.

The woman was the first to smell them and she turned to their spot in the shadows.

“I know you’re here…Show yourself!”, she shouted.

“Don’t do it, they might be able to overpower us…”, Toby hissed.

“I don’t know…”, Diana whispered.

Paige stepped out of the shadows before Walter, or anyone else, could stop her.

“You don’t want to pick a fight with me.”, Paige all but growled in response, igniting her body and drawing her sword.

The female vampire placed a hand to her mouth as she gasped.

The male vampire lowered his stake back into the holster and placed a hand on the female’s shoulder as she began to sniffle.

Paige lowered her sword, confused by their actions before the female spoke and stepped forward with her hands raised in apparent surrender.

“My dear, we would never hurt you…”, said the female.

“Wait, what?”, Paige asked, lifting a flaming eyebrow.

“It’s good to finally meet you face to face.”, the male said, “I know this is sudden, but we’ve waited for so long…and you have your father’s eyes…”

Paige lowered her sword and took a step back.

“Who are you people, anyway? How do you know my father?”, she asked.

Walter put two and two together and gasped.

These were Paige’s grandparents.

Amelia and Joseph.

Paige’s hair was wild like Amelia’s and the flames only made them look that much more alike and her cheekbones were almost like Joseph’s. 

Amelia smiled.

“He was our son.”

Paige extinguished in an instant.

“Robert Dineen was your son?”, she asked, “So, that would make you-“

“Amelia Rosen-Dineen and Joseph Dineen… your grandparents…”, Joseph replied.

Paige took a step back.

“Prove it.”, she said.

“Your sword has a name…it’s Valkyrie, isn’t it?”, Amelia replied, “That was my sword, of course that was back when my sisters and I were renowned as the bearers of light…you see, we Rosen women had gifts like yours…”

Amelia began to glow and her hair rose on heatwaves, fluttering slightly, before she stopped and went back to normal.

“Of course, I can’t ignite like you can…I never could, but I could brighten a room.”, Amelia stated, “I think that all of the gifts from all of the Rosen women found their way into you and laid dormant until you were changed…”

Paige just stood there, unmoving.

“So? Similar gifts and a sword don’t prove anything.”, she replied, remaining skeptical.

Amelia smiled sadly and reached into the neck of her armor, pulling out a chain with a locket on the end of it.

“No, I suppose not, but I hope this helps…”, she said and unclasped it before handing it to Paige.

“Open it.”, Amelia encouraged.

Paige opened it and looked at the picture within before gasping.

People had always said that Ralph favored her more than Drew, but Ralph was practically the spitting image of her father; his grandfather.

“This is—or was—your father as a boy… probably about eleven here…”, Joseph added, as he saw the recognition bloom across her features.

“Wow…I guess you are my grandparents…”, she replied, “Uh, I was born in 1984, I don’t suppose you’ve ever met my mother…”

“Never.”, Joseph replied.

“Thank God…I can’t lie and say that she was the best parent in the world… dad tried his best.”

“And look how you turned out, an amazing mother and the lady of a coven…”, Amelia stated as Paige handed the locket back.

 “I wasn’t always that great…”, Paige murmured in response.

Walter stepped from the shadows and regarded Joseph and Amelia with a stern glance.

No matter who they were, it was still confusing to him as to how they had avoided all sorts of detection from the Strigoi that were patrolling the halls above and below them.

Surely, Alfonso knew about the hidden passage into the library; he’d only been living here for a couple of centuries.

“You’re Walter O’Brien…”, Amelia said, noticing the confusion in his eyes, “You must be wondering how we’ve avoided detection.”

“Can’t say that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind.”, he replied, coming to a stop next to Paige before waving the rest of the team out into the light. 

 “I have the power of persuasion.”, Joseph stated, “It isn’t too powerful, certainly not as strong as Collins’s is and nowhere near the amount of control you have when you turn someone Strigoi, but, you see, the thing about Moroi is that they can only spread their powers so far and the more they do, the weaker their hold is over each Strigoi, that’s why you might have run into some rogue ones on the way up here. To put it simply, I’m able to poke into a few of their minds and give them a little push away from here…They’re horribly weak-willed creatures, so they go with the flow and follow the crowd without a second thought as to who is controlling them or why.”

 “That’s kind of brilliant.”, Toby said.

“Thank you. I’m a bit out of practice given my years of unjustified solitary confinement, but I seem to be adjusting to life on the outside quite well.”, Joseph replied, inclining his head towards the psychiatrist.

“Well, what are we waiting for?”, Cabe asked, “We came here for Ralph, and while I’m glad you found your family, Paige, Ralph is still missing his, so let’s move.”  

 Paige nodded and Amelia opened up the hidden passage for them.

“We would go with you but we need to keep this route clear.”, Joseph said.

“If we don’t meet again, I should tell you that you and your son are more incredible than anything I could have ever imagined. It’s been a true honor to meet you, Paige, but you must know that you now carry an incredible burden upon your shoulders.”, Amelia said with a serious note in her voice, “Once Regina and Alfonso realize exactly whose bloodlines you carry, they will not stop until you and your son are dead. The American covens are still divided, no doubt, so I need you and your mate to step up and be the leaders that your grandfather and I tried to be. America gained freedom in 1776, but to this day, every vampire, halfling, and fledgling is still a pawn for the _Vecchio Ordine._ You need to end it if we can’t, do you understand?”

Paige nodded.

“I’ll do what I can.”

“And you, Walter O’Brien, you’ll help her, guide her, and counsel her should she need it? As well as guide Ralph?”, Joseph asked.

“Paige has been my guiding light so far, but if she needs me, I will always be there. I love her. As for Ralph, I already love him as I would my own flesh and blood. I will fight until my last breath for both of them.”, Walter replied, surprising himself at just how far he had progressed in just a few months of knowing her, mainly how he had gone from being cold, closed off, consumed by his own genius, practically living as a hermit, to being a warmer person, a man who had opened his heart and mind to the things that he had once thought to be impossible, who had found Paige, his mate for life, while also taking on the responsibilities of helping her raise Ralph.

He was proud of his progress and Paige smiled softly at his words, knowing that public declarations of love and support were still foreign to him, but hearing those words gave her the strength she needed to reach out and hug her grandparents and the determination to take Walter’s hand and lead their coven into the dark passageway.

She could feel it in her gut that she was closing in on Ralph, but she couldn’t smell him or sense his emotions yet, and that worried her, causing her normally slow and steady vampire heart to kick up its pace.

Walter sensed this and squeezed her hand, reassuring her that everything was going to be fine but as they reached the end of the passage and opened the door, which doubled as a painting, Paige was met with horrifying déjà vu.

Those nightmares she had been having always began in a place like this.

The room had high ceilings with rafters, stained glass, several large statues, a fireplace, and a balcony that faced the Mediterranean, mahogany tables and bookshelves full of scrolls and tomes that were probably older than even the oldest vampires among them.   

She knew it by the black and white checkerboard floor.

She quickly scanned the room and found Ralph sitting on a stool facing the sea, his back to them.

“Ralph!”, Paige called out, both relieved to find him alive, yet terrified because she knew how her nightmare always ended.

_Ashes to ashes._

Still, she and Walter both heaved a sigh of relief and opened their arms as their son came running to greet them.

_Dust to dust._

Even though her nightmare had diverted from its usual course and was now including her finding Ralph there, it was still the same place, right down to the details.

A room she had never heard of in a place she had never visited before, yet here she was.

She glanced over her shoulder as Ralph hugged her and gazed through doors that led to stairs which descended into a courtyard.

If her nightmare proved true, it would be there that she would die.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are preferred


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